Terry Furlow

Terry Furlow
Terry Furlow
Born	Terry L. Furlow; Template:Birth date; Flint, Michigan, U.S.
Died	May 23, 1980 (aged 25); Near Linndale, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	1976–1980
Known for	NBA shooting guard for Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, Utah Jazz

Terry L. Furlow (October 18, 1954 – May 23, 1980) was a professional basketball player from the United States.

Amateur career

Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Furlow played as a shooting guard and hailed from Flint, Michigan. During his high school years at Flint Northern High School, he contributed to consecutive state Class A championship victories under the guidance of coach Bill Frieder. In his final year (1971–72), he topped the team's scoring charts with an average of 14.8 points per game throughout an undefeated 25–0 campaign, which concluded with a triumph over Pontiac Central High School.

Furlow advanced to play collegiate basketball at Michigan State, where he led the Big Ten conference in scoring during his senior season (1975–76) by averaging 29.4 points per game. He amassed a total of 1,717 points over his college tenure. Notably, his 50-point performance against Iowa on January 5, 1976, remains the highest single-game scoring achievement in the school's history.

In January 1975, Furlow was involved in a significant incident when he and nine other African American players staged a walkout in protest against coach Gus Ganakas's starting lineup choices prior to an important Big Ten matchup. The players faced suspension for that game, which Michigan State lost decisively; however, after issuing apologies, they were reinstated and subsequently secured a victory over Ohio State the following day.

Additionally, Furlow played a mentorship role for a young Magic Johnson, who credited him with greatly enhancing his skills during their training sessions. Johnson later honored Furlow by serving as one of the pallbearers at his funeral.

Professional career

In the 1976 NBA draft, Furlow was picked 12th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, and earlier had been selected in the sixth round of the 1975 ABA draft by the Memphis Sounds. Despite forming a rapport with teammate Julius Erving, he struggled to find playing time on the deep roster of the 76ers. Consequently, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for two first-round draft selections, where he averaged 11.0 points across nearly two seasons. In January 1979, Furlow was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in return for point guard Butch Lee. Midway through the 1979–80 NBA season, he joined the Utah Jazz, achieving a career-high average of 16.0 points per game. That same season, he twice reached a personal best by scoring 37 points in individual games.

Personal life

Furlow's professional journey was marred by issues related to cocaine and other illicit substances, reflecting a broader problem within the NBA during the 1970s. Assistant coach Mike Fratello acknowledged Furlow's competitive nature but also recognized that personal challenges impeded his development.

On May 23, 1980, following an encounter with former teammate Foots Walker, Furlow lost his life in a high-speed automobile accident on Interstate 71 near Linndale, Ohio. Toxicology reports revealed the presence of cocaine and Valium in his system at the time of death; investigators also discovered open containers of beer and marijuana inside the vehicle.

After his passing, Furlow received posthumous honors including induction into both the Greater Flint Area Sports Hall of Fame (1991) and the Greater Flint Afro-American Hall of Fame (2005).

He is survived by his son, Terrence O'Neal Paige, who resides in Hammond, Indiana, as well as a granddaughter named Nyah.

NBA

Source

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 32 || 0 || 5.4 || .340 || || .889 || 1.2 || .6 || .2 || .1 || 2.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 53 || || 15.6 || .433 || || .889 || 2.0 || 1.4 || .4 || .3 || 8.9 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 49 || || 22.7 || .483 || || .824 || 2.0 || 2.1 || .8 || .3 || 13.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta | 29 || 0 || 19.9 || .481 || || .857 || 2.4 || 2.8 || .6 || .4 || 9.9 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| | style="text-align:left;"| Atlanta | 21 || || 19.2 || .410 || .111 || .863 || 2.0 || 3.4 || .9 || .4 || 8.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 55 || || 31.2 || .476 || .315 || .876 || 2.8 || 4.0 || 1.0 || .3 || 16.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 239 || 0 || 20.1 || .459 || .293 || .862 || 2.1 || 2.4 || .7 || .3 || 10.7

Playoff Performance

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1977	Philadelphia	5	3.2	.545	1.000	1.0	.0	.2	.0	3.2
1978	Cleveland	2	25.0	.481	1.000	2.5	2.5	.0	.0	16.0
1979	Atlanta	9	27.1	.487	.929	3.6	3.2	.8	.2	15.1
Career Totals		16	19.4	.490	.947	2.6	2.1	.5	.1	11.5

References

External links

Terry Furlow career statistics