Ned Dixon "Dickie" Hemric (August 29, 1933 – August 3, 2017) was an American collegiate and professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

(1952–1955) and the NBA's Boston Celtics ( 1955–

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

). Hemric played the first two college years at Wake Forest when the school was a member of the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...

. The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Male Athlete of the Year was created at the start of the 1954 season, and he played his last two seasons in the ACC, setting conference records for scoring and rebounding that were untouched for the first 50 years of the conference's existence. He was honored as the second recipient of the

ACC Athlete of the Year The Atlantic Coast Conference Athlete of the Year award is given to the male and female athlete who show extraordinary talent throughout the entire season. The award is decided by members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. Anthony J. ...

in 1955. In 2002 Hemric was selected to the ACC 50th Anniversary men's basketball team, honoring the 50 greatest players in ACC history. Hemric's ACC scoring record of 2,587 points was untouched from 1956 until it was finally broken in 2006 by Duke University's

JJ Redick Jonathan Clay "JJ" Redick (born June 24, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who is a podcaster and sports analyst for ESPN. He was selected 11th overall by the Orlando Magic in the 2006 NBA draft. He played college baske ...

and in 2009 by

Tyler Hansbrough Andrew Tyler Hansbrough (born November 3, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven seasons, as well ...

of the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

. Hemric held the NCAA record for free throws made in a career with 905 for 54 years until it was passed by Hansbrough. Hemric still holds the Division I record for most free throw attempts (1,359) in a career. Hemric's ACC record of 1,802 career rebounds may never face a serious challenge - for four decades the nearest runner-up was his contemporary

Ronnie Shavlik Ronald Dean Shavlik (December 4, 1933 – June 27, 1983) was an American professional basketball player. He was an All-American center for the NC State Wolfpack in the 1950s. He later played briefly for the New York Knicks of the National Basket ...

who is now third on the list with 1,567 rebounds from 1954 to 1956. Second is legendary NBA

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

Tim Duncan Timothy Theodore Duncan (born April 25, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Big Fundamental", he is widely regarded as the greatest power forward of all time and one of the greatest players in NBA histor ...

, who pulled down 1,570 rebounds at Wake Forest from 1994 to 1997. With most of today's elite ACC players leaving for the NBA before completing four seasons, it is difficult to project a scenario in which Hemric's record could ever be broken. Nationally Hemric is still fifth all-time in Division I career rebounds. Hemric died on August 3, 2017 at his home in

North Canton, Ohio North Canton is a city in central Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 17,842 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area. History In 1831, the Community of North Canton first began as the Villag ...

nearly four weeks shy of his 84th birthday.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hemric, Dickie 1933 births 2017 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from North Carolina Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players People from Jonesville, North Carolina People from North Canton, Ohio Power forwards (basketball) Wake Forest Demon Deacons men's basketball players

See also

References