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Selvy inducted into National Collegiate Basketball HOF; Furman renames award in his honor

Frank Selvy

Last updated November 21, 2022

By News administrator

Furman basketball standout Frank Selvy was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri, Nov. 20, during a live streamed YouTube ceremony. He joined a class of nine icons in the sport for 2022.

In an enduring tribute to the former Paladin basketball great, Furman Athletics has renamed an annual award that recognizes the university’s top male student-athlete.

“Furman University is honored to celebrate the induction of Frank Selvy into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame,” said Jason Donnelly, vice president for intercollegiate athletics at Furman. “Frank’s record-breaking accomplishments throughout his career and 100-point game in 1954 are legendary in the sport of basketball and the city of Greenville. In recognition of Frank’s legacy and impact, Furman athletics is excited to name the Male Student Athlete of Year the ‘Frank Selvy Award’ from this day forward.”

From 1951-54 Selvy scored like few players in the history of college basketball. He led NCAA Division I in scoring both as a junior with 29.5 points per game and as a senior with an average of 41.7, and overall averaged 32.5 points over his three-year career.

Most notably, Selvy scored a Division I record 100 points on 41-of-66 shooting against Newberry on Feb. 13, 1954, at Textile Hall in downtown Greenville – a high-water mark that has never been matched.

All told, the Corbin, Kentucky, native, a health and physical education major, notched 50 points on eight occasions and scored 40 points or more in 22 games during his Paladin tenure, helping Furman to a 59-21 overall record while competing in a Southern Conference that at the time included future Atlantic Coast Conference members North Carolina, North Carolina State and Duke, among others.

A two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year selection, three-time first team All-SoCon and All-America choice, including consensus All-America and United Press National Player of the Year pick in 1954, he was a first round selection in the 1954 NBA Draft by the Baltimore Bullets. Selvy made two NBA All-Star Teams over a nine-year professional career that was interrupted by three years of military service.

Learn more at Furman Athletics.

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