Spencer Haywood

U of D Basketball
University of Detroit Basketball Player (1968 – 1969)
Detroit Mercy Titans Hall of Fame
NBA Basketball
1x NBA Champion
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
USA Olympic Gold Medalist (1968)

Spencer Haywood

University of Detroit Basketball Player (1968 – 1969)

Spencer Haywood was born in Silver City, Mississippi and moved to Detroit with his family as a teen-ager he played basketball at Pershing High School, leading them to a state championship in 1967. After attending a junior college for one year he moved on to the University of Detroit where he averaged 32.1 points per game and led the NCAA in rebounding with 21.5 points per game. Since he was too young to join the NBA, he joined the Denver Rockets of the ABA where in his only season he led the league in scoring, was the Rookie of the Year and league MVP. He moved to the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics for four seasons being named to the All-Star team each year. His NBA career continued through the 1983 season, and was with the Lakers for their 1980 NBA Championship. He was also a key player in helping team USA win the 1968 Olympic Gold medal in basketball by being the leading scorer with a 16.1 point per game average. Haywood’s number 45 was retired by the University of Detroit and his number 24 was retired by the Seattle SuperSonics. Spencer Haywood was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015 and inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.