Art Heyman obit

Art Heyman, Star at Duke, Dies at 71

 

He was not on the list.

Art Heyman, a 6-foot-5 scoring force drafted No. 1 over all by the Knicks after leading Duke University to its first Final Four in 1963, winning national player of the year and starring in a central, combative role in the fierce rivalry between Duke and the University of North Carolina, died Monday in Florida. He was 71.

His death was confirmed by Brewer & Sons Funeral Home of Clermont, Fla.

Heyman was one of the most highly recruited high school players in the nation in his senior year at Oceanside (N.Y.) High School, and he first committed to play for North Carolina. He planned to attend along with a not necessarily friendly playground opponent from his childhood, Larry Brown, who lived in nearby Long Beach. But Heyman and his family had a change of heart at the last minute, and he chose to go to Duke, which had not yet become a basketball power.

Four years later, that had changed.

“As much as any other human being, Art was responsible for Duke University becoming a national power in college basketball,” the former Duke coach Vic Bubas said in a statement released by the university.

In the three years Heyman played on the varsity — freshmen were not allowed on the team at the time — Duke had a 69-14 record and Heyman averaged 25.1 points and 10.9 rebounds. He made the all-Atlantic Coast Conference team all three years. His senior season, 1962-63, he was named N.C.A.A. player of the year by The Sporting News, A.C.C. Player of the Year and most outstanding player of the Final Four, where Duke lost to Loyola of Chicago.

The Knicks drafted Heyman first that spring and he averaged 15.4 points per game his first year, making the all-rookie team. But his N.B.A. career did not last long. By 1967 he had moved to the newly formed American Basketball Association, where he helped lead the Pittsburgh Pipers to the league’s first championship, in 1968. Starting at guard for the losing team, the New Orleans Buccaneers, was Larry Brown.

 

Career history

1963–1965            New York Knicks

1965            Cincinnati Royals

1965–1966            Philadelphia 76ers

1966            Wilmington Blue Bombers

1966–1967            Hartford Capitols

1967    New Jersey Americans

1967–1969            Pittsburgh / Minnesota Pipers

1969–1970            Miami Floridians

Career highlights and awards

ABA champion (1968)

NBA All-Rookie First Team (1964)

NCAA Final Four MOP (1963)

USBWA Player of the Year (1963)

AP Player of the Year (1963)

UPI Player of the Year (1963)

Sporting News Player of the Year (1963)

Helms Foundation College Player of the Year (1963)

Consensus first-team All-American (1963)

Consensus second-team All-American (1962)

Third-team All-American – AP, UPI (1961)

ACC Player of the Year (1963)

ACC Athlete of the Year (1963)

3× First-team All-ACC (1961–1963)

No. 25 retired by Duke Blue Devils

First-team Parade All-American (1959)

Career NBA and ABA statistics

Points   4,030 (13.0 ppg)

Rebounds            1,461 (4.7 rpg)

Assists  859 (2.8 apg)