NATE THURMOND

Nate Thurmond was enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame on July 1, 1985 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Nate was an Akron Central High School graduate in 1959 where he earned 3rd team High School All-American. He was a three year letterman at Bowling Green State University and played under Hall of Famer Coach Harold Anderson. Nate was a consensus All-American by UPI in 1963. He led BGSU to the NCAA Tournament in 1962 and 63. Led them to MAC Championships in those same two years. He was All MAC First Team in 1961, 62, and 63 and MVP each of those years. At BGSU he set many records in rebounding for a season and a career, namely most rebounds in a career (1,295) and season (452). He recorded 31 rebounds against Mississippi State in 1963. Nate was enshrined in the BGSU Hal of Fame in 1975.

Nate played 14 years as a pro for the San Francisco Warriors, Golden State Warriors, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. He was a seven time NBA All-Star (1965-69, 70, 73, and 74). In 1974 he made history by being the first player to ever record a quadruple double-double in four categories (22 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and 12 blocked shots).

He holds NBA records in rebounding and upon enshrinement in the NBA ranked 4th best in history. Nate grabbed a career high 42 rebounds against Detroit on November 9, 1965. There are many critics who think that the 6’7” center had the best mix of offense and defense in history. When he retired he had scored 14,437 points and 14,464 rebounds.