DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -Junior Morgan, the starting center on Duke’s first NCAA tournament team, has died.
The school said Tuesday that Junior Morgan, a center for the Blue Devils from 1953-56, died Saturday of prostate cancer at his home in Winnetka, Ill. He was 74.
Morgan had a team-best 9.1 rebounds as a junior in 1954-55 in leading the Blue Devils to a 20-8 record and their first berth in the NCAA tournament, where they lost their opener to Villanova.
The following season, he averaged 11.2 points and a team-leading 9.8 rebounds to help Duke finish 19-7.
He was picked in the seventh round of the NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks, but instead worked in manufacturing for Goodyear in Akron, Ohio, and played for a semipro team.
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