| Carlisle Towery | |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 5 |
| Weight Lbs: | 210 |
| Nationality: | American |
| Birth Date: | 20 June 1920 |
| Birth Place: | Caldwell County, Kentucky |
| Death Place: | Marion, Kentucky |
| High School: | Shady Grove (Shady Grove, Kentucky) |
| College: | Western Kentucky (1938–1941) |
| Career Start: | 1941 |
| Career End: | 1950 |
| Career Number: | 24, 77, 10 |
| Career Position: | Power forward / center |
| Years1: | 1941–1944, 1946–1948 |
| Team1: | Fort Wayne Pistons |
| Years2: | 1948–1949 |
| Team2: | Indianapolis Jets |
| Highlights: |
|
| Bbr: | towerbl01 |
William Carlisle Towery (June 20, 1920 - November 25, 2012), nicknamed "Blackie" or "Big Boy",[1] was an American professional basketball player.
A 6'5" (1.96 m) forward-center, Towery played for the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers from 1938 to 1941. He was a two-time All-America selection and the first Hilltopper to score 1,000 points. He also led the Hilltoppers to three Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles.[2]
After graduating, Towery began his professional career with the Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons of the National Basketball League. He played three seasons with the Pistons before entering military service in World War II, where he earned a Bronze Star as an infantryman.[2] He then returned to the Pistons in 1946, and remained with the team as they joined the Basketball Association of America (the modern NBA) in 1948. Towery spent half a season with the Pistons in the BAA, and later served stints for the Indianapolis Jets and Baltimore Bullets. When he retired from basketball in 1950, he had scored 2,317 combined NBL/NBA points.[3]
In 2003, Western Kentucky University retired his #42 college jersey. He became the sixth Hilltopper to receive such honors.[2] Towery died on November 25, 2012, at the age of 92.[4]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | FG% | Field-goal percentage | ||
| FT% | Free-throw percentage | APG | Assists per game | ||
| PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high | ||
| Year | Team | GP | FG% | FT% | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–49 | Fort Wayne | 22 | .259 | .712 | 1.6 | 7.5 |
| 1948–49 | Indianapolis | 38 | .265 | .753 | 3.6 | 11.5 |
| Baltimore | 68 | .327 | .757 | 2.1 | 8.8 | |
| Career | 128 | .293 | .748 | 2.4 | 9.4 | |