Duke legend Art Heyman, a three-time All-American in the early-'60s and captain of the Blue Devils' first Final Four club, died on Monday night at his home in Florida. He was 71.
"Art was a warrior on the basketball court," former Duke teammate Jeff Mullins said in a statement. "He was relentless and his attitude on the court was infectious to his teammates. He only wanted to win, and wouldn't settle for less. He put a lot of pressure on himself to be great, and he was.
"He was the best 6-5 offensive rebounder, other than Elgin Baylor, that I ever played with or against. Our relationship was built on the court because winning was very important to me too and we blended very well. Off the court, in many ways, we went our separate ways but we had a great relationship. He did his thing, and I did mine, but I have always considered Art a very loyal and dear friend." Heyman was an All-American in all three of seasons on the Duke varsity, averaging a school-record 25.1 points over his career and 10.9 rebounds (fourth-best in school history). He is one of 13 players to have his jersey retired by the school and one of only three to average a double-double for three consecutive seasons.
In 1963, Heyman was named the NCAA player of the year by Sporting News and others, Final Four most outstanding player, ACC player of the year and ACC Tournament MVP. He led the Blue Devils to the '63 Final Four, losing to Loyola (Ill.) in the semifinal despite Heyman's 29 points and 12 rebounds. Duke did follow up by beating Oregon State in the third-place game.
— Notable sports death of 2012
"As much as any other human being, Art was responsible for Duke University becoming a national power in college basketball," former Duke coach Vic Bubas said. "I always told him that he was a true pioneer in modern Duke basketball. His records and stats speak for themselves, but I don't know that any words can do justice to the role that he played in the history of our teams in that era."
He also was involved in perhaps the most infamous incident in the Duke-North Carolina history, a moment that helped forge perhaps the game's best rivalry. Heyman committed a hard foul in the Feb. 4, 1961 game against North Carolina's Larry Brown, who reciprocated by punching Heyman and sparking a benches clearing brawl (see video).
After college, he was the No. 1-overall pick in the '63 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. He played eight seasons in the NBA and ABA, also playing for the Cincinnati Royals, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Americans, Pittsburgh Pipers and Miami Floridians. He retired in 1970 with 4,030 points, 1,461 rebounds and 859 assists in his pro career.
"Art Heyman was a wonderful player, and an idol to many of us who were playing basketball in the 1960s," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. "Obviously, he had a huge impact on Duke basketball and was truly one of the elite players to ever wear a Blue Devil uniform.
"When I was fortunate to become the Duke head coach, my admiration for Art blossomed into a great friendship that lasted for more than 30 years. Art will be missed by all of us in the Duke Basketball family."
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