The Best Duke Players Of The 60's

[Devilwin]

Let's see your top ten best Duke players of the 60's. To be eligible, they would have to played at least one year in the decade of the 60's. Not by position, just by your opinion.
Here's mine.
1. Art Heyman
2. Jeff Mullins
3. Bob Verga
4. Mike Lewis
5. Steve Vacendak
6. Jay Buckley
7. Jack Marin
8. Randy Denton
9. Dick DeVenzio
10. Hack Tison

[Olympic Fan]

Let's see your top ten best Duke players of the 60's. To be eligible, they would have to played at least one year in the decade of the 60's. Not by position, just by your opinion.
Here's mine.
1. Art Heyman
2. Jeff Mullins
3. Bob Verga
4. Mike Lewis
5. Steve Vacendak
6. Jay Buckley
7. Jack Marin
8. Randy Denton
9. Dick DeVenzio
10. Hack Tison

Not a bad list, but you have Jack Marin wa-a-ay too low. He was a consensus second-team All-American in 1966 and a two-time first-team All-ACC. He was a more significant player than Lewis and Vacendak, his contemporaries. He should be No. 4 on your list.

And I'd argue that Buzzy Harrison, who started on three straight top 10 teams, two Final Four teams, and who never lost to UNC (like Mullins and Buckley), should be ahead of DeVenzio. And Howard Hurt, a two-time second-team All-ACC pick in 1960-61, should squeeze in ahead of DeVenzio (who never came close to winning even second team All-ACC honors) for sure, maybe ahead of Tison.

Lot of good players left out -- Vandenberg, Golden, Kistler (tournament MVP on Duke's first ACC title team), Youngkin and Katherman. And there's got to be a special place for Freddie Lind, just for his performance in the 1968 UNC win.

[jv001]

Not a bad list, but you have Jack Marin wa-a-ay too low. He was a consensus second-team All-American in 1966 and a two-time first-team All-ACC. He was a more significant player than Lewis and Vacendak, his contemporaries. He should be No. 4 on your list.

And I'd argue that Buzzy Harrison, who started on three straight top 10 teams, two Final Four teams, and who never lost to UNC (like Mullins and Buckley), should be ahead of DeVenzio. And Howard Hurt, a two-time second-team All-ACC pick in 1960-61, should squeeze in ahead of DeVenzio (who never came close to winning even second team All-ACC honors) for sure, maybe ahead of Tison.

Lot of good players left out -- Vandenberg, Golden, Kistler (tournament MVP on Duke's first ACC title team), Youngkin and Katherman. And there's got to be a special place for Freddie Lind, just for his performance in the 1968 UNC win.

Hurt and Youngkin two of my early Duke favorite players. Both from North Carolina(not ncheat). DeVenzio was never the player I thought he would be. Seems to me he came to Duke with other celebrated high school players. They had a terrific freshman team if I remember correctly. GoDuke!

[sagegrouse]

Here's my take:

Three are above all -- three times All-ACC plus All-Americans:
Heyman (NPOY)
Mullins
Verga

Followed closely by
Marin (All-ACC 1st team twice, 2d-team A-A)

Then:
Denton (All-ACC 1st team once and 2nd team twice; some A-A honors once)
Mike Lewis (All-ACC 1st team once and 2nd team once; some A-A honors once)
Howard Hurt (All-ACC 2nd team three times) (Class of 1961)
Vacendak (All-ACC 2nd team twice plus ACC player of the year)

And:
Carroll Youngkin (All-ACC 1st team once) (Class of 1961)

Plus:
Buckley (All-ACC 2nd team once) (tie-breaker is his PhD in physics and career as a rocket scientist)

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

I would add Howard Hurt who played from 1959 to 1961. He played for Harold Bradley for one year before Bradley left for Texas and was captain for the remaining two years. Howard provided leadership and maturity during the transition which began when Vic Bubas replaced Bradley. His final year Howard was named Duke's MVP.

I met Howard in graduate school. The graduate school training led him to Enloe High School where he coached Randy Denton.

[Olympic Fan]

Hurt and Youngkin two of my early Duke favorite players. Both from North Carolina(not ncheat). DeVenzio was never the player I thought he would be. Seems to me he came to Duke with other celebrated high school players. They had a terrific freshman team if I remember correctly. GoDuke!

Youngkin was from Winston-Salem, but Hurt was from Beckley, W. Va.

DeVenzio was part of the first recruiting class that I ever heard touted as the nation's best.

Part of that was because of DeVenzio, who was the most celebrated guard in his prep class -- who turned down John Wooden, Lefty Driesell and Dean Smith (among others) to play for Bubas at Duke. The other super get was Brad Evans, a two-sport super star from Durham High who was the Ron Curry of his day. He turned down the change to play QB for Bear Bryant at Alabama to play for Bubas. Randy Denton wasn't as celebrated, but he became a great college big man who averaged 19.7 ppg (sixth best in Duke history) and 12.7 rebounds (best in Duke history). Rick Katherman was a sweet shooting forward from Massachusetts (the Manchester Rifle) who averaged double figures all three varsity seasons. The fifth guy was Steve Litz, a tough forward from Pittsburgh (who didn't have a great career).

The funny thing is that even though that class produced one great player (Denton), two good players (Katherman and DeVenzio) and one decent player (Evans averaged 9.9 ppg as a junior -- his one season as a starter before he switched to football), it was not a great freshman team. They went 13-3 and lost 2 of 3 (and the Big Four championship) to a very mediocre UNC freshman team (Lee Dedmon, Dale Gipple and not much else). The only time they beat UNC was in Carmichael, when DeVenzio hit a 75-foot shot at the buzzer (from the UNC foul line).

Dick DeVenzio ended up as a nice player, starting on teams that went 15-13, 17-9 and 20-10. He also ended up as a very unhappy guy. He was bitter that Bubas retired after his sophomore year and he never like Bucky. He's famous for hosting players on recruiting visits and warning them not to come to Duke. He ended up as an early advocate of athletes' rights and tragically died in 2001 of cancer.

[Devilwin]

Not a bad list, but you have Jack Marin wa-a-ay too low. He was a consensus second-team All-American in 1966 and a two-time first-team All-ACC. He was a more significant player than Lewis and Vacendak, his contemporaries. He should be No. 4 on your list.

And I'd argue that Buzzy Harrison, who started on three straight top 10 teams, two Final Four teams, and who never lost to UNC (like Mullins and Buckley), should be ahead of DeVenzio. And Howard Hurt, a two-time second-team All-ACC pick in 1960-61, should squeeze in ahead of DeVenzio (who never came close to winning even second team All-ACC honors) for sure, maybe ahead of Tison.

Lot of good players left out -- Vandenberg, Golden, Kistler (tournament MVP on Duke's first ACC title team), Youngkin and Katherman. And there's got to be a special place for Freddie Lind, just for his performance in the 1968 UNC win.
Actually I meant in no particular order. But I did number them, so I see where you think Marin is way low, and he is for sure.
I played on a rec league team with lawyer Fred Lind in High Point in the 70's. We won the tourney that year, beating a team led by former State star Vann Williford!

[heyman25]

1. Art Heyman
2. Jeff Mullins
3. Bob Verga
4. Jack Marin
5. Randy Denton
6. Steve Vacendak
7. Mike Lewis
8. Howard Hurt
9. Jay Buckley
10. Dick DeVenzio

As a young Duke fan I used to love the introductions. They turned Cameron dark and turned the spotlights on the players as they were introduced. I hope some day when there is a Duke-UNCgame on ESPN,they will mention Art Heyman , Larry Brown Doug Moe,Billy Cunningham,Frank McGuire and Vic Bubas. Noone ever had a better game than Art Heyman going against Billy Cunningham scoring 40 points and having 24 rebounds on Senior Day.

[wsb3]

Good Thread. A good stroll down memory lane.

Not in order..I did not see Art Heyman play. My childhood memory does not go back that far but with all his accomplishments I have to include him.

Art Heyman, Jeff Mullins, Jack Marin, Steve Vacendak, Bob Verga, Mike Lewis, Randy Denton, Jay Buckley, Hack Tison, & C.B. Claiborne for the important history involved.

Link to article on C.B. http://www.indyweek.com/sports/archives/2013/02/13/cb-claiborne-on-being-dukes-first-black-basketball-player

One little Bob Verga story. I grew up in Wilmington & he was with the Carolina Cougars. I guess they were traveling around in the summer to promote the team. It was at our Little League Park..Hugh MacRae..They had some type portable basketball goal that they set up on asphalt. The local news was there & they were interviewing him & they asked him to shoot a few baskets. Seems like he set up somewhere equivalent to free throw to top of the key..He started shooting jumpers. Never missed. Again with the memory of a child & a long time ago it seems like he shot a dozen or so. He stopped & looked at the reporter & said, "Is that enough?" Too bad I don't still have the autographed photo. That would be a nice add to this.

7193

[Atldukie79]

1. Art Heyman
2. Jeff Mullins
3. Bob Verga
4. Jack Marin
5. Randy Denton
6. Steve Vacendak
7. Mike Lewis
8. Howard Hurt
9. Jay Buckley
10. Dick DeVenzio

As a young Duke fan I used to love the introductions. They turned Cameron dark and turned the spotlights on the players as they were introduced. I hope some day when there is a Duke-UNCgame on ESPN,they will mention Art Heyman , Larry Brown Doug Moe,Billy Cunningham,Frank McGuire and Vic Bubas. Noone ever had a better game than Art Heyman going against Billy Cunningham scoring 40 points and having 24 rebounds on Senior Day.

YES! This is the ranking I would use. Loved the intros. Lot's of energy.

[westwall]

YES! This is the ranking I would use. Loved the intros. Lot's of energy.

I was a regular at Indoor Stadium from '55 to '62 and also at Duke's '63-'69 games at Cole, and agree with this ranking although, because of different styles, it's difficult for me to say definitively that Heyman was "better" than Mullins, Verga or Marin. I recall Heyman as a good, not great, shooter who was brilliant at following his own shot and turning the offensive rebound into two points. One change I might make would be to slip Carroll Youngkin, a very effective inside scorer at 6'6", ahead of DeVenzio, who I recall as a pass-first point but not a go-to scorer.

[chrishoke]

1. Art Heyman
2. Jeff Mullins
3. Bob Verga
4. Jack Marin
5. Randy Denton
6. Steve Vacendak
7. Mike Lewis
8. Howard Hurt
9. Jay Buckley
10. Dick DeVenzio

As a young Duke fan I used to love the introductions. They turned Cameron dark and turned the spotlights on the players as they were introduced. I hope some day when there is a Duke-UNCgame on ESPN,they will mention Art Heyman , Larry Brown Doug Moe,Billy Cunningham,Frank McGuire and Vic Bubas. Noone ever had a better game than Art Heyman going against Billy Cunningham scoring 40 points and having 24 rebounds on Senior Day.

This is a picture from that wonderful game - Larry Brown is on the far left, Cunningham on the right. Great caption.

7194

[jv001]

Good Thread. A good stroll down memory lane.

Not in order..I did not see Art Heyman play. My childhood memory does not go back that far but with all his accomplishments I have to include him.

Art Heyman, Jeff Mullins, Jack Marin, Steve Vacendak, Bob Verga, Mike Lewis, Randy Denton, Jay Buckley, Hack Tison, & C.B. Claiborne for the important history involved.

Link to article on C.B. http://www.indyweek.com/sports/archives/2013/02/13/cb-claiborne-on-being-dukes-first-black-basketball-player

One little Bob Verga story. I grew up in Wilmington & he was with the Carolina Cougars. I guess they were traveling around in the summer to promote the team. It was at our Little League Park..Hugh MacRae..They had some type portable basketball goal that they set up on asphalt. The local news was there & they were interviewing him & they asked him to shoot a few baskets. Seems like he set up somewhere equivalent to free throw to top of the key..He started shooting jumpers. Never missed. Again with the memory of a child & a long time ago it seems like he shot a dozen or so. He stopped & looked at the reporter & said, "Is that enough?" Too bad I don't still have the autographed photo. That would be a nice add to this.

7193

Being from the Triad area(W/S & Gbo) I got to see those Carolina Cougars play often. Verga, Cunningham(later the coach), Wendell Ladner, Pogo Joe Caldwell, Doug Moe, Mike Lewis, George Lehmann, Lou Carnescca to name a few. I got to meet Bones(Wake), Larry Brown(Uncheat), Cunningham(Uncheat), Doug Moe(Uncheat), and Lou Carnescca(ST. Johns). I remember the Duke and Uncheat players wore their former college numbers.

Two of my best friends owned Tar Heel Press company and they did the printing work for the Cougars, so I was able to go to lunch with Bones, Brown, Caldwell, and Carnescca. All were very nice and cordial. Bones & Carnescca had some funny stories to tell, but Joe Caldwell was the funniest of all. He was the kind of guy that didn't take himself too seriously. My only regret was not meeting Bob Verga. He was my favorite Duke/Cougar of all. I even got to sit on press row when the team played an exhibition game at App State. I kept the rebound count for the Cougars.

When Bones was coaching the team, he had a tendency to play Lehmann instead of Verga and I hated that. Some of my Duke buddies and I went to see the team play in Greensboro one time and I kept yelling to Bones "put Verga in and take your son Lehmann out". Little did I know it, Bones' real son was sitting about 4 rows down in front of us. One of the young ladies that was with him, turned around and yelled "George is not his son, this is his son". Not to be out done, I yelled "well George is his son too. My buddies thought we were going to get thrown out of the coliseum. That happened before I was invited to lunch with Bones and I'm glad he didn't recognize me or I would have had to pay for my lunch that day. The day the team moved to St. Louis was a dark day in my life. Those were some great days in this Duke fan's life.

Sorry this was such a long post. GoDuke!

[jv001]

YES! This is the ranking I would use. Loved the intros. Lot's of energy.

From Rockville Center, NY, #25 Art Heyman and from Lexington, KY, #44 Jeff Mullins. Make me have chills just remembering that. Was Add Penfield the person making the intros? GoDuke!

[Sir Stealth]

The only time they beat UNC was in Carmichael, when DeVenzio hit a 75-foot shot at the buzzer (from the UNC foul line).



What? I was not previously aware of this, and it sounds like something that should have way more legendary status even if no footage is available. We hit a three-quarter-court shot to beat UNC at the buzzer?? Were we down 1 or tied?

[jv001]

What? I was not previously aware of this, and it sounds like something that should have way more legendary status even if no footage is available. We hit a three-quarter-court shot to beat UNC at the buzzer?? Were we down 1 or tied?

I believe that was in a freshman game. Freshman were not allowed to play varsity basketball then. GoDuke!

[crdaul]

My favorite team was the 65-66 group. The NCAA eastern regionals were in Raleigh, and a group of fraternity brothers had bought tickets at the beginning of the season hoping that Duke would play there. As we were driving to the games, stuck in traffic, we recognized the guy in the car next to us -- Matt Goukas and teammates from St.Josephs...He leaned out the window and asked us if this was the way to Reynolds Coliseum, no team buses back then....At the end of the championship game we were on the court with Duke's players and a group of us held Steve Vacendak up as he cut the net...No ladders or TV ceremony either...Good times, even though a sick Bob Verga may have been the difference in the Final Four.

[wsb3]

Being from the Triad area(W/S & Gbo) I got to see those Carolina Cougars play often. Verga, Cunningham(later the coach), Wendell Ladner, Pogo Joe Caldwell, Doug Moe, Mike Lewis, George Lehmann, Lou Carnescca to name a few. I got to meet Bones(Wake), Larry Brown(Uncheat), Cunningham(Uncheat), Doug Moe(Uncheat), and Lou Carnescca(ST. Johns). I remember the Duke and Uncheat players wore their former college numbers.

Two of my best friends owned Tar Heel Press company and they did the printing work for the Cougars, so I was able to go to lunch with Bones, Brown, Caldwell, and Carnescca. All were very nice and cordial. Bones & Carnescca had some funny stories to tell, but Joe Caldwell was the funniest of all. He was the kind of guy that didn't take himself too seriously. My only regret was not meeting Bob Verga. He was my favorite Duke/Cougar of all. I even got to sit on press row when the team played an exhibition game at App State. I kept the rebound count for the Cougars.

When Bones was coaching the team, he had a tendency to play Lehmann instead of Verga and I hated that. Some of my Duke buddies and I went to see the team play in Greensboro one time and I kept yelling to Bones "put Verga in and take your son Lehmann out". Little did I know it, Bones' real son was sitting about 4 rows down in front of us. One of the young ladies that was with him, turned around and yelled "George is not his son, this is his son". Not to be out done, I yelled "well George is his son too. My buddies thought we were going to get thrown out of the coliseum. That happened before I was invited to lunch with Bones and I'm glad he didn't recognize me or I would have had to pay for my lunch that day. The day the team moved to St. Louis was a dark day in my life. Those were some great days in this Duke fan's life.

Sorry this was such a long post. GoDuke!

No worries.. Good post. I enjoyed it. Did the Cougars play in 3 different cities every year or was that something that came about later to try & draw more fans?

As a kid I loved the ABA.. Last year I read 'Loose Balls" & Dr. J's biography which I enjoyed both & the stories of the ABA.

[Sir Stealth]

I believe that was in a freshman game. Freshman were not allowed to play varsity basketball then. GoDuke!

Ah, I see now - totally missed that, had me doing a double take. Funny how that makes it seem inconsequential now but freshmen have such a big impact on the games in today's era (Deng, Rivers, T. Jones, Ingram, Tatum putting Meeks on a poster).

[crdaul]

1. Art Heyman
2. Jeff Mullins
3. Bob Verga
4. Jack Marin
5. Randy Denton
6. Steve Vacendak
7. Mike Lewis
8. Howard Hurt
9. Jay Buckley
10. Dick DeVenzio

As a young Duke fan I used to love the introductions. They turned Cameron dark and turned the spotlights on the players as they were introduced. I hope some day when there is a Duke-UNCgame on ESPN,they will mention Art Heyman , Larry Brown Doug Moe,Billy Cunningham,Frank McGuire and Vic Bubas. Noone ever had a better game than Art Heyman going against Billy Cunningham scoring 40 points and having 24 rebounds on Senior Day.

And yelling "who's he" as the opposing team members were announced...

[wsb3]

Thought about giving Steve Vandenberg some love for his career high of 33 he put up in win against UNC in 69. 10-14 from the field. 13-13 from the free throw line. 12 boards.

[jv001]

No worries.. Good post. I enjoyed it. Did the Cougars play in 3 different cities every year or was that something that came about later to try & draw more fans?

As a kid I loved the ABA.. Last year I read 'Loose Balls" & Dr. J's biography which I enjoyed both & the stories of the ABA.

I think the team played in Greensboro, Raleigh and Charlotte while here in North Carolina. The original purchase price was 30K by a Houston based company. Then later was purchased by Southern Sports corp. for 350K in 1969. In 1970 Ted Munchak purchased the team. In 1974 the team moved to ST. Louis and in 1976 the team was planning to move to Salt Lake City but the 4 remaining ABA teams made an agreement for the team to fold. The cost, 2.2 million dollars and a share of the TV money from those 4 remaining teams. After the team moved to St. Louis, I was way less interested in the team but I still hold the Carolina Cougars as a favorite time in my life. GoDuke.

[Indoor66]

Thought about giving Steve Vandenberg some love for his career high of 33 he put up in win against UNC in 69. 10-14 from the field. 13-13 from the free throw line. 12 boards.

My favorite Vandenberg memory was:

25. Jan. 3, 1967 – Duke 89, Penn State 84

Vic Bubas had to suspend most of his team for this game, after catching the bulk of his players out after curfew on New Year’s Eve. Ironically, the only regular not penalized was senior star Bob Verga, who was probably the hardest partier on the team. Bubas had just six players in uniform for the visit by Penn State – two of them walk-ons and two reserves who almost never got off the bench. But Verga scored 38 and little-used sophomore Steve Vandenberg added 16 points and 14 rebounds as Duke pulled out the victory.

The Penn State players were in tears on the bench saying "These are the scrubs beating us!"
(http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=209848909)

[Olympic Fan]

1. Art Heyman
2. Jeff Mullins
3. Bob Verga
4. Jack Marin
5. Randy Denton
6. Steve Vacendak
7. Mike Lewis
8. Howard Hurt
9. Jay Buckley
10. Dick DeVenzio


My only quibble with your list is No. 10.

I don't get DeVenzio over Buzzy Harrison. As I mentioned earlier, Buzzy was a three-year starter (two of them Final Four teams) and he earned second-team All-ACC honors as a senior. He was probably the third best player on the '63 Final Four team (behind Heyman and Mullins) and again in '64 (behind Mullins and Buckley, who made a major improvement in his senior year). I'd also have Hack Tison and maybe Steve Vandenberg ahead of DeVenzio.

[heyman25]

My only quibble with your list is No. 10.

I don't get DeVenzio over Buzzy Harrison. As I mentioned earlier, Buzzy was a three-year starter (two of them Final Four teams) and he earned second-team All-ACC honors as a senior. He was probably the third best player on the '63 Final Four team (behind Heyman and Mullins) and again in '64 (behind Mullins and Buckley, who made a major improvement in his senior year). I'd also have Hack Tison and maybe Steve Vandenberg ahead of DeVenzio.
You are probably correct,but my memory of Buzzy Harrison's play was not in my memory like Devenzio. UNC got his teammate in high school Dennis Wuycik who had a better career than the late Dick DeVenzio.

[Indoor66]

You are probably correct,but my memory of Buzzy Harrison's play was not in my memory like Devenzio. UNC got his teammate in high school Dennis Wuycik who had a better career than the late Dick DeVenzio.

There were hopes and dreams that DeVenzio would be the next Cousey but it never happened. Might have been teammates and might have been Dick.

[throatybeard]

This is all great as far as it goes, but there's a major problem, which is that the sixties was the last decade the ACC was heavily segregated/barely integrated. So there's a very good chance that part of the reason these guys look so amazing is that they were shielded from competition with AfAm and international players. Yes, Heyman would have been great anywhere in any era probably, but after that, IDK.

One can make a list "greatest New York Yankees of the 1930s." But it doesn't tell you much about baseball anymore.

I mean seriously, imagine making a list of all the greatest males in a field one decade before women were allowed something like full participation in it. You can do that, but, you might wanna think about the optics before you do.

(Still on the Verga retirement bandwagon, I suppose).

[jv001]

This is all great as far as it goes, but there's a major problem, which is that the sixties was the last decade the ACC was heavily segregated/barely integrated. So there's a very good chance that part of the reason these guys look so amazing is that they were shielded from competition with AfAm and international players. Yes, Heyman would have been great anywhere in any era probably, but after that, IDK.

One can make a list "greatest New York Yankees of the 1930s." But it doesn't tell you much about baseball anymore.

I mean seriously, imagine making a list of all the greatest males in a field one decade before women were allowed something like full participation in it. You can do that, but, you might wanna think about the optics before you do.

(Still on the Verga retirement bandwagon, I suppose).

Mullins proved he could play against anyone. Good but not great pro career. Art wasn't as good as Jeff in the pros but that's just my opinion, which doesn't mean much. Billy Cunningham and Bobby Jones of the Uncheats played well in the pros as well. But that still was before the NBA became mostly AFAM players. GoDuke!

I'm on the Verga retirement(jersey) as well. GoDuke and GoRedbirds!

[Olympic Fan]

This is all great as far as it goes, but there's a major problem, which is that the sixties was the last decade the ACC was heavily segregated/barely integrated. So there's a very good chance that part of the reason these guys look so amazing is that they were shielded from competition with AfAm and international players. Yes, Heyman would have been great anywhere in any era probably, but after that, IDK.

One can make a list "greatest New York Yankees of the 1930s." But it doesn't tell you much about baseball anymore.

I mean seriously, imagine making a list of all the greatest males in a field one decade before women were allowed something like full participation in it. You can do that, but, you might wanna think about the optics before you do.

(Still on the Verga retirement bandwagon, I suppose).

Yes, the ACC was slow to integrate, but that doesn't diminish what they accomplished on a national scale in the in that decade. Duke's all-white team (or slightly integrated with little-used CB Claiborne) was ranked in the top 10 nationally in seven of eight years -- in the top three in 3 of four years in the middle of that stretch. Bubas had three Final Four teams and an Elite Eight team against integrated teams in the NCAA Tournament. They had a legendary rivalry in that era with Michigan, which boasted such black stars as Cazzie Russell, Bill Buntin and Oliver Darden.

And you don't know if anybody other that Heyman could have played in an integrated era? Are you kidding? Jeff Mullins, Jack Marin and Bob Verga were all professional stars -- in the integrated NBA or ABA. Many of the other guys we're talking about also played pro ball. And it's not like white guys (Kennard, Grayson Allen) can't play in today's environment.

PS And the New York Yankees were pretty doggone good ...

[FadedTackyShirt]

Thanks for this thread. Always interested in Duke players before my time. Didn't see any of them play at Duke, but Mullins was my favorite Warrior as a child. Sat in front of my family on a cross country plane flight and played with hometown hero Hack Tison at Duke (same reason I always paid attention to Jack Marin in the NBA).

Does Verga have a realistic chance at jersey retirement? Other than Mullins, G Man, and Hurley, all the other honored players won some national player of the year award. Verga wasn't ACC POY. Would seem tough to make a case retroactively.

[sagegrouse]

Mullins proved he could play against anyone. Good but not great pro career. Art wasn't as good as Jeff in the pros but that's just my opinion, which doesn't mean much. Billy Cunningham and Bobby Jones of the Uncheats played well in the pros as well. But that still was before the NBA became mostly AFAM players. GoDuke!

I'm on the Verga retirement(jersey) as well. GoDuke and GoRedbirds!

The money wasn't very attractive in the 1960's NBA. Jay Buckley, who was drafted in a later round, told me that the starting offers were only a few thousand a year, hardly better than what he made as a physics grad student at Hopkins.

Mullins was maybe better than just "good" as a pro player. His best six years he averaged 20.5, 5.5 and 4.7 for the Warriors. Jeff was on the Left Coast and didn't get much TV time elsewhere. Marin was more prominent as a Bullet for six seasons (11-year career).

[budwom]

Thought about giving Steve Vandenberg some love for his career high of 33 he put up in win against UNC in 69. 10-14 from the field. 13-13 from the free throw line. 12 boards.

Of all the Duke players I have seen while I was a student, or in the decades afterward, Vandenberg constantly traveled around campus with the most impressive two girlfriend entourage I have ever seen.

[Indoor66]

The money wasn't very attractive in the 1960's NBA. Jay Buckley, who was drafted in a later round, told me that the starting offers were only a few thousand a year, hardly better than what he made as a physics grad student at Hopkins.

Mullins was maybe better than just "good" as a pro player. His best six years he averaged 20.5, 5.5 and 4.7 for the Warriors. Jeff was on the Left Coast and didn't get much TV time elsewhere. Marin was more prominent as a Bullet for six seasons (11-year career).

In 1972, Jack Marin was traded, one for one, for Elvin Hayes.

[westwall]

This is all great as far as it goes, but there's a major problem, which is that the sixties was the last decade the ACC was heavily segregated/barely integrated. So there's a very good chance that part of the reason these guys look so amazing is that they were shielded from competition with AfAm and international players. Yes, Heyman would have been great anywhere in any era probably, but after that, IDK.

(Still on the Verga retirement bandwagon, I suppose).

Your quoted point is noted, and valid, but is not relevant to the thread title: "The Best Duke Players of the '60's"