Taking Selvy: Anniversary of When Furman Star Set NCAA DI Scoring Mark

What is the individual major-college record most likely never to be matched, let alone exceeded in our lifetime? Today is the anniversary of the most illustrious achievement (Frank Selvy scoring 100 points for Furman against Newberry SC on February 13, 1954). Kevin Bradshaw (72 for USIU against Loyola Marymount in 1990-91) is the only NCAA Division I player to tally more than 65 points in a DI game in the last 38 seasons.

Selvy reached the 100-point plateau en route to becoming the first three-year player surpassing 2,000 points, finishing with 2,538. Selvy (41.7 ppg) and Darrell Floyd (24.3) combined for 66 points per game during the 1953-54 campaign and are the highest-scoring duo in major-college history. Selvy, a senior, scored 50 or more in seven games on his way to becoming the first player to score 1,000 points in a single season (1,209) and average 30 or more for a career (32.5 ppg). Floyd succeeded his teammate as the nation's leading scorer with 35.9 ppg in 1954-55. Selvy and Floyd collaborated for a total of nine single-game scoring records by opponents against major colleges standing since the mid-1950s.

Making Selvy's 100-point outburst even more amazing was the fact his mother, watching her son play for the initial time, was among several hundred fans from his hometown of Corbin, Ky., who made the trip to Greenville, S.C., to watch the game. An early indication something special was in the offing came less than three minutes into the game when Newberry's Bobby Bailey, who helped hold Selvy to a season-low 25 points two weeks earlier, fouled out.

Selvy's last three field goals in a 41-of-66 shooting performance from the floor came in the game's closing 30 seconds, and the crowning moment was his final basket. "It (the 100-point game) was something that was just meant to be," Selvy said. "My last basket was from past half-court just before the final buzzer."

How did Selvy get away from the University of Kentucky? He played every minute of every game during his senior season. Following is the box score for Selvy's 100-point outing:

Halftime: Furman 77-44.