Carlisle Towery

William Carlisle Towery (born June 20, 1920), nicknamed "Blackie" or "Big Boy", is a retired American 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. 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 enterring military service in World War II, where he earned a Bronze Star as an infantryman. He then returned to the Pistons in 1946, and remained with the...