Five Basketball Stars of the Sixties
By Jim Joanos
Last month I wrote about some Florida State University basketball players of the 1950's. This month, let us consider the exploits of five of FSU's best hoopsters who starred in the 1960's. The sixties was a time when the FSU basketball program began to emerge as a competitor among the major college teams in the nation. When the decade began, J.K. "Bud" Kennedy was the head coach. He died in 1966 and his assistant Hugh Durham, who had played for Kennedy in the fifties took over the reins.
1. Dave Fedor of Zephryhills, Florida, played varsity ball at FSU for three seasons from 1959 to 62. He led the team in scoring all three seasons and served as a team co-captain both as a junior and a senior. He is the only player in FSU's history to have scored in double figures in every game that he played as a Seminole (72 total games). He was selected as an honorable mention All American by the Helms Foundation in 1960 and 61 and by the United Press International in 1962. In 1962, he became the first FSU player drafted by an NBA team when he was selected in the third round (25th player overall) by Philadelphia. His 1,456 points ranks eleventh all time among FSU scorers. He was admitted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981.
2. Gary Schull from Pompano Beach played three seasons at FSU from 1963 to 1966. He was the team leader in scoring two of the three seasons and second the other season. In all, he racked up 1,142 points while at FSU and stands at 27th on the all time scoring list. Although drafted by the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA in the 7th round (66th player overall) he played professional basketball in Italy following his FSU career. A popular player in Italy, he even appeared as an actor in some Italian films. He was inducted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1985 and passed away in 2005.
3. Jeff Hogan from Akron, Ohio, came to FSU in the Fall of 1965. As required then, he played freshman ball during his first year at FSU. It was following that season that head coach Bud Kennedy died and Hugh Durham was elevated from assistant to head coach. Consequently, Hogan was a stalwart on the first three teams that Durham served as head coach. During that time FSU teams grew stronger. The 67-68 team went 19-8 and the 68-69 team which Hogan captained finished with a record of 18-8. It was in 1968 that FSU first competed in the post season NCAA tournament. Over the three seasons Hogan accumulated 1,164 points and as such is a member of FSU's distinguished 1,000 points club. Hogan was also a rare two-sport star who was a star infielder for the Seminole baseball team. At the end of each of the three seasons that he played baseball the team made it to the NCAA tournament. Following graduation he played professional baseball for several years and then had a very successful career as a high school coach, teacher, and administrator in the Tallahassee area. He was admitted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1980.
4. Dave Cowens is regarded by many as the greatest basketball player to have ever played for the Seminoles. The six foot nine, 220-pound redhead from Newport, Kentucky was signed by FSU during the last days of Coach Bud Kennedy's tenure. After a season of the required freshman basketball, he led FSU's next three seasons from 1967 to 70 in both scoring and rebounding. When he finished at FSU he had accumulated 1,479 points and 1,340 rebounds. Today he still ranks ninth in all time career scoring and first in rebounding among all Seminoles. In 1970 he was drafted by the NBA's Boston Celtics as their first pick (fourth player chosen overall) and thus became the first FSU player selected in the first round. At the end of his first year in the pros he was selected as the co-rookie player of the year in the NBA. He played in the NBA for eleven years including two Celtic championship teams. He is still regarded as one of the fifty best ever to play in the NBA. His jersey hangs with honor at FSU games. In fact, his was the first basketball jersey ever retired by FSU. When the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 1977, he was among the fifteen charter members.
5. Skip Young (a/k/a Ahmad Aliyy) from Columbus, Ohio, came to FSU in the Fall of 1967. After a season on the Freshman team, he thereafter was a leader on the three varsity teams from 1968 to 71. It was a stormy time for FSU basketball as the program, one of the first to do so in the South, was integrating its basketball team. Young was in the midst of that storm. As the team's point guard, Young took a great deal of abuse from fans when the Seminoles played on the road. There were hate letters received and other incidents as well that made life miserable for him. Early on, he was tempted to transfer to one of the northern schools that had also recruited him. However, at his mother's urging, he stayed the course and became a legendary star for the Seminoles. With Young at the point, the team went 18-8, 23-3, and 17-9 the three seasons that he played. The 1969-70 team has been called "The Busted Flush" team because its starting team included four African Americans and one Caucasian. After college, Young was drafted by the Boston Celtics and played one year for them. His career has included coaching and state government work in Tallahassee where he lives. He was admitted into the FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
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