Durham, NC – Art Heyman, the captain of Duke's first Final Four team who went on to play in the ABA and NBA, has died, the university announced Tuesday. He was 71.
Duke said Heyman died Monday night in Florida. A cause of death was not announced.
Heyman captained Duke's first Final Four team in 1963 and is one of 13 players to have his jersey retired at the university where he was a three-time All American.
He averaged 25.1 points and 10.9 rebounds at Duke and was the No. 1 pick in the 1963 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. He played eight years in the ABA and NBA.
Former Duke head coach Vic Bubas said in a statement that Heyman was as responsible "as any other human being ... for Duke University becoming a national power in college basketball."
Current Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Heyman "had a huge impact on Duke basketball and was truly one of the elite players to ever wear a Blue Devil uniform."
"When I was fortunate to become the Duke head coach, my admiration for Art blossomed into a great friendship that lasted for more than 30 years," said Krzyzewski. "Art will be missed by all of us in the Duke basketball family."
Among Heyman's accolades, he was the first ACC player to earn consensus national player of the year honors for the 1962-63 season. He was the NCAA Player of the Year, Final Four Most Outstanding Player, ACC Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP that season.
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