Henry Clarke Bynum Jr. (November 13, 1961 – September 3, 2007) was an American basketball player for the Clemson Tigers who helped to stop a plane hijacking in 2000. A McDonald's All-American at Wilson Hall in

Sumter, South Carolina Sumter ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Sumter County, South Carolina, United States. Known as the Sumter Metropolitan Statistical Area, the namesake county adjoins Clarendon and Lee to form the core of Sumter-Lee-Clarendon Tri-county (o ...

, Bynum played for the Clemson Tigers at Clemson University from 1980 to 1984. He was 6 foot 7 inches tall. He averaged five points and two

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

during his four seasons with the Tigers. Bynum was an All-Academic in the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

during his senior year. Bynum took a job with his family's insurance business following his graduation from Clemson. He later served as chairman of his high school alma mater, Wilson Hall. He remains Wilson Hall's school's all-time basketball scoring leader. Bynum is best known for subduing a

passenger A passenger (also abbreviated as pax) is a person who travels in a vehicle, but does not bear any responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination or otherwise operate the vehicle, and is not a steward. The ...

who broke into the

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

of British Airways Flight 2069 with 398 passengers in December 2000. The passenger had attacked the plane's pilot and grabbed the controls, sending the plane into two nose-dives. Bynum and several other passengers managed to break into the cockpit and restrained the man until the plane could land. Bynum received the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest honor, for his bravery in subduing the man with the help of other passengers. He was also awarded a presidential commendation by Clemson University in 2001. Clarke Bynum died on September 3, 2007, in

, at the age of 45, from cancer.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bynum, Clarke 1961 births 2007 deaths Basketball players from South Carolina Deaths from cancer in South Carolina Clemson Tigers men's basketball players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Sportspeople from Sumter, South Carolina Place of birth missing American men's basketball players Hijacking survivors Forwards (basketball)