Bob_McCurdy

Bob McCurdy

Bob McCurdy

American basketball player (1952–2020)

For the American artist, see Robert McCurdy.

Robert McCurdy (February 26, 1952 – July 29, 2020) was an American college basketball player for the Richmond Spiders from 1973 to 1975. He began his collegiate career with the Virginia Cavaliers before transferring to Richmond. McCurdy was the nation's leading scorer during his senior season of 1974–75, averaging 32.9 points per game for the Spiders.[1] He became a radio sales and management executive after college.[2]

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Basketball career

College

Virginia

A native of Deer Park, New York, McCurdy attended Deer Park High School and graduated in 1970.[3][4] He enrolled at the University of Virginia on a basketball scholarship, but in 1970–71 college freshmen were ineligible to play varsity basketball, so McCurdy had to play on Virginia's freshman team.[3] He led the team in scoring that season, including a season-high 40 points against Maryland's duo of Tom McMillen and Len Elmore.[3][5] McCurdy then played for one varsity season with the Cavaliers, but Bill Gibson, the coach who had recruited him, left the school. McCurdy decided to transfer and chose the University of Richmond.[3][5]

Richmond

Due to NCAA transfer eligibility rules, McCurdy was forced to sit out for one full year before suiting up for Richmond. In his junior season in 1973–74, he averaged approximately 24 points per game.[3] McCurdy was the Spiders' second leading scorer behind Aron Stewart, who averaged 26.5 points per game, and was named to the All-Southern Conference Second Team.[6] The following year, the last of his collegiate career, he increased his scoring average to 32.9 per game and led all of Division I in scoring.[6][7] He scored a total of 855 points that season, and on February 26 (his birthday) he had a career high 53-point outing against Appalachian State.[6][8] Both the single season and game totals are still school records.[6] Averaging 22.8 field goal attempts per game, the 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m), 200-pound (91 kg) forward took 35 percent of the team's shots while rarely passing; he was credited with only 11 assists for the season.[9] McCurdy was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection, and the Associated Press named him a third-team All-America. In just two seasons at Richmond, he scored 1,347 points.[6]

Kevin Eastman, the starting point guard, was in awe at McCurdy's ability to score. Many years later, Eastman was quoted as saying, "Looking back now, it was a remarkable feat. [McCurdy] had virtually no quickness. He didn't really have dribbling skills. He couldn't jump that high. He couldn't run real fast. He was a prime example of how will and enthusiasm and effort allowed him to rise to another level."[3] Jokingly, Eastman added, "He worked harder than anybody else on the team, but he was very focused on one skill, and that was shooting. I'm not sure I saw him in a defensive stance all year, and the one or two assists that he got were mistakes."[3]

NBA

McCurdy was selected in the eighth round (132nd overall) in the 1975 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.[10] He never played a game in the league, however, and it is speculated that the constant cortisone injections into his foot during his senior year may have scared off teams from giving him a chance.[11]

Business career

With professional basketball out of the picture, McCurdy focused on becoming a successful businessman. Later in life, after admitting to skipping classes while in college to work on his jump shot, he said, "I was almost incoherent when I got out of college. Here I was, hoping to be a businessman, and I couldn't even talk basketball."[11] He hired a tutor to catch him back up to speed in statistics.[11] Within a few years he was a successful employee at Katz Radio,[11][12] becoming the company president in 1990.[12] After Clear Channel purchased Katz Media Group, McCurdy became regional president for Clear Channel Radio Sales.[13] He was named president of the Katz Radio's business division, Katz Marketing Solutions, in 2009.[12] He later joined Beasley Media Group before retiring in April 2020.[12][13]

Personal life

McCurdy resided in Westport, Connecticut, with his wife Cindy.[11] They had four children together, including a son, Sean, who was also a successful basketball player. Sean played at St. Anthony High School for Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley.[14] Sean was a starter for the undefeated and national champion St. Anthony Friars in 2003–04. He accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Arkansas, but after two seasons transferred to William & Mary to finish his collegiate basketball career.[14]

McCurdy was diagnosed with anal cancer in 2018. He filed a medical malpractice case against the Whittingham Cancer Center at Norwalk Hospital. in Norwalk, Connecticut. The suit argued that he was given improper chemotherapy treatment,[2][13] receiving only 25 percent of the supposed dosage he should have been given of the drugs Fluorouracil and Mitomycin.[15] With his age and compromised immune system, McCurdy became homebound in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8] He died at age 68 on July 29, 2020, in Connecticut.[2]

References

  1. [1]
    "2010–11 NCAA Men's Basketball Records" (PDF). 2010–11 NCAA Men's Basketball Media Guide. National Collegiate Athletic Association. 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  2. [2]
    O’Connor, John (July 29, 2020). "Former Spiders' hoops star Bob McCurdy, who led nation in scoring in 1975, dies at 68". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  3. [3]
    Wojnarowski, Adrian (February 21, 2005). The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty. Gotham. pp. 102–103. ISBN 978-1-59240-102-4.
  4. [4]
    Kirkman, Ed (January 18, 1970). "Bridgies Set Island Record For One Game". The Daily News. p. NS8. Retrieved July 31, 2020 – via Newspapers.com. Bob McCurdy also had 33 as Deer Park swept Commack South 68–53.
  5. [5]
    Boccella, Nick (Summer 1975). "McCurdy Blazes To Stardom". UR Magazine. Vol. 38, no. 3. University of Richmond. p. 6. Retrieved July 31, 2020. The 6'7" freshman proved his talent to league coaches with a 25.0 average as the Baby Cavaliers' leading scorer. His greatest effort was a 40-point outburst against the McMillen-Elmore duo in College Park, Md.
  6. [6]
    "University of Richmond Athletic Hall Of Fame". richmondspiders.com. University of Richmond. 2011. Archived from the original on July 25, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  7. [7]
    "Scoring Sensations". SI.com. Sports Illustrated. June 25, 2003. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  8. [8]
    O’Connor, John (June 5, 2020). "Bob McCurdy, Spider who led nation in scoring, ailing and involved in unwelcome isolation play". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  9. [9]
    "Bob McCurdy Hopes His Scoring Will Be Ticket To Pro Ball". The Danville Register. AP. March 11, 1975. p. 6-B. Retrieved July 31, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. [10]
    "Milwaukee Bucks Draft Picks". basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  11. [11]
    Wolff, Alexander (November 20, 1989). "The Lost Generation: From 1971 to 1984, No Major College Scoring Champ Made the Grade in the NBA". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  12. [12]
    "Beasley Media Group Names VP of Sales". Radio World. June 2, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  13. [13]
    Jacobson, Adam (July 30, 2020). "Radio Industry Veteran Bob McCurdy Loses Cancer Battle". Radio and Television Business Report. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  14. [14]
    Sabin, Rainer (March 1, 2009). "After best-laid plans went astray, he found fit at W&M". The Virginian-Pilot. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2011.
  15. [15]
    Reakes, Kathy (May 21, 2020). "Ex-College Basketball Star Sues Norwalk Hospital For Alleged Cancer Treatment Error". Shelton Daily Vloice. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
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