Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2016
Terry McCord only had two years to make an impact on the Troy basketball program, but there is no coincidence that those were arguably two of the Trojans’ best seasons, and now the Anniston, Ala., native will forever be part of the Troy University Sports Hall of Fame.
One of the top offensive players in Troy men’s basketball history, McCord joined the Trojans as a junior in 1991-92, helping lead the team to the NCAA South Regional. In 1992-93, as a senior, McCord not only continued to light up the scoreboard, but led Troy to the 1993 NCAA Division II National Championship game, gaining Troy University national exposure on CBS.
“Terry was an outstanding talent, a great leader and a great player,” his head coach, fellow Troy University Sports Hall of Famer, Don Maestri said. “He always wanted to be the best. He always wanted to be on top as a player and as a teammate. The strongest thing was his leadership skills. He’s the one that led us to the national championship game and he made everybody better on that team.”
McCord was named an All-American that season, as voted on by the nation’s coaches, and is still the only first team All-American selection in program history. He averaged a Troy single-season record 24.2 points per game, but his fire as a competitor is what helped lead the Trojans to a school-record 27 wins.
“We were an NCAA Division II Independent when Terry played,” Maestri explained. “We didn’t have a conference, so we couldn’t earn an automatic NCAA Tournament bid. That meant we had to a play a tough schedule to be considered for an at-large spot.
“I remember we lost a game right before Christmas, and I heard Terry tell Tommy Davis in the locker room after the game, ‘We won’t lose another game.’ I overheard him say that, and I’m thinking he must not understand the tough schedule we’re about to play. But sure enough, right after that we won a bunch in a row and got an at-large NCAA bid.”
McCord’s leadership led the Trojans to a Final Four, and his scoring led them to averaging a remarkable 111.4 points per game. Troy was explosive night in and night out and scored over 100 points 24 times, including three games over 140 points.
McCord not only broke the scoring average record as a senior, he also set the single-season free throw record with 156 made free throws and set the steals record with 87. His scoring average and free throw records still stand today.
The Trojans were just as exciting in McCord’s junior season, averaging an even higher mark at 121.1 points per game and going over 100 points in 23 of 29 games. That season, McCord was part of the Troy team that scored an NCAA record 258 points in a win over DeVry on January 12.
However, as Maestri explains, it wasn’t always fiery competitiveness that was coming out of McCord.
“He also had such a great personality. He treated everybody the same. Whether you were helping set up in the gym, the coach of the team or the Chancellor of the University, he was always friendly to every person he met.
“He would grab players by the collar and push them to new heights on the court, but when those lights went off, he was the exact opposite and he was everybody’s friend.”
McCord ranks second all-time in career scoring average at 22.0 points per game, while ranking 10th in career points (1,300) and 10th in career free throws made (226). An accurate shooter, McCord shot over 50 percent from the floor and made 136 3-pointers in his career with the Trojans. Troy posted a 50-11 combined record in his two seasons.
Nobody could sum up Terry McCord better than Maestri.
“He was just flat out a history maker.”
