February 15, 2002

FURMAN TO RETIRE BASKETBALL GREAT
NIELD GORDON'S JERSEY SATURDAY

GREENVILLE -- Nield Gordon, who starred for Furman's basketball program in the early 1950s, will have his jersey (No. 27) retired prior to the Paladins' 7:00 p.m. game against Wofford Saturday night at Timmons Arena.

A Brunswick, Md., native, Gordon graduated from then Wingate (N.C.) Junior College in 1951 before coming to Furman. In two years as a member of the Paladin basketball program, he helped Furman go 18-6 and 21-6, respectively, and, as a senior in 1953, earned second team All-Southern Conference honors when the league still included schools such as Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State, Maryland, Clemson, and South Carolina. He averaged 22.6 points per game over 51 games, including 24.3 as a senior while playing alongside future Paladin All-American Frank Selvy.

After graduating from Furman in 1953, he served in the United States Army before beginning his coaching career at Belmont Abbey (N.C.) College in 1956. Following a one-year stint there, he returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach until accepting the head coaching position at Newberry (S.C.) College in 1962. Following a highly successful 15-year coaching tenure at Newberry, he moved on to Winthrop (S.C.) College, where in a nine-year tenure as head basketball coach and director of athletics he helped establish and direct the men's athletic program at the previously all-female school.

A charter member of Furman's Athletic Hall-of-Fame and inductee into the South Carolina, Wingate College, and NAIA Halls-of-Fame, he has also been enshrined into the Frederick (Md.) County Sports Hall-of-Fame.

Gordon's jersey retirement is the fifth in Furman basketball history. His will join those of Frank Selvy (No. 28), Darrell Floyd (No. 33), Clyde Mayes (No. 34), and Jonathan Moore (No. 25) hanging from the rafters at Timmons Arena.