Spotlight on Former Athlete: Andrew Toney Men’s Basketball 1976-1980

The "Spotlight on Former Athlete" has a new writer. Please welcome Bruce Brown, long-time editor of the Daily Advertiser, who has accepted this responsibility. In addition to his numerous stories in the Daily Advertiser over the years, many viewers of the Athletic Network are familar with Bruce’s work as he wrote "Prides of Acadiana" in 1980. Many of its chapters have been used in previous spotlight features. Prides of Acadiana clearly demonstrates his love of the university and its athlete program. We welcome Bruce as an Athletic Network team member and look forward to his spotlight features each month.

By Bruce Brown BBrown@smgpo.gannett.com Dec. 12, 2009

This story is a copyrighted enterprise.

Of all the accomplishments by Andrew Toney, both with Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajun basketball program from 1976-80 and later as an NBA champion with the Philadelphia 76ers, perhaps it was a game he missed that speaks most clearly about his character.

Toney was a major piece of the puzzle as first Jim Hatfield and then Bobby Paschal tackled the task of rebuilding Cajun basketball fortunes after the program had been shut down for two seasons for NCAA violations. The sharp-shooting guard finished as the school’s second-leading scorer with 2,526 career points, led the Cajuns to a Southland Conference title, and paced his team to the quarterifinals of the National Invitation Tournamentas a senior in 1979-80.

During that senior year 30 years ago, Toney missed a road game at Portland State so he could return to Lafayette and participate in December graduation ceremonies, finishing his undergraduate studies in 3 1/2 years. "I was trying to finish in 3 years," said Toney, who currently lives near Atlanta. "My parents couldn’t afford to send me to college, so since I was
getting a free education I wanted to make sure I took advantage of it. My sisters went on to grad school, and our parents always told us to better ourselves."

"The course work was not that bad. The courses I took in high school didn’t prepare me for college, therefore there were a couple of classes the first semester that were a challenge. Once I adjusted, it was pretty much a breeze." Paschal gave permission for Toney¹s absence because he knew how much it meant to the former high school star from Birmingham, Ala.

"We had a road trip between semesters," Paschal recalled. "We beat Oregon, and afterward Andrew came to me and said he would like to go back to go through graduation ceremonies. I was proud of him. We lost a game, but it was the right thing to do, for Andrew to be able to come back and graduate. "When he came to us, he indicated to me that he wanted to graduate early. He attended summer school that first year, before his first year. He told me then that his goal was to graduate in a shorter time than any of his sisters. "That¹s hard for anyone to do, but especially an athlete. During semesters, he got special permission to take more than the normal load of (class)hours. He was pretty driven in everything he did."

On the court, Toney regularly worked on his own at Blackham Coliseum, convincing one of the staff members to give him his own key. "I was pretty much always like that, whether it was studying, or basketball or playing golf, "said Toney. "All the time I was at USL and in Philly, I was always the first one there and the last to leave. "Anytime you want to get better, you’ve got to be willing to put in quality time. Each and every time I went in the gym, I was working on something, and I made sure I accomplished it before leaving. It could have been hitting 14 or 15 shots in a row. Whatever it was, I would do it, no matter how long it took me."

"He was not one who would work hard for show, to work out and make sure everybody knew about it," Paschal said. "He worked hard to get better. He had God-given abilities, and didn¹t waste them."

Toney was the picture of consistency at UL, averaging 21.0, 24.5, 23.3 and 26.1 points per game, scoring 608, 661, 630 and 627 points in his four seasons. In 107 career games, he hit 52.9 percent of his field goals. "I’m older now, so I don’t remember the statistics so much," Toney said. "I remember the rivalries with McNeese and Lamar. The points and all? No. I could always score."

Could he ever. The 1979-80 Cajuns returned from their Oregon trip to host the BayouClassic, and fans were in for a treat as UL defeated Baylor 96-83 and then Auburn 92-75 to win its own event.

"Sports Illustrated sent a guy, Jack McCallum, down to do a story on us centered around Andrew," Paschal recalled. "We had a good game against Baylor and then played Auburn. Auburn had a lot of kids from Alabama on the team, a lot of kids Andrew knew. He ended up scoring 46 against them (one of three times Toney hit that mark at UL). "When the story came out in SI, they had a picture of Andrew in a lab, and it was titled Andrew Toney, "A classy guy with books and a ball."

Toney didn¹t take long to feel at home in south Louisiana, and met his wife, Priscilla, at UL. "I was impressed by the
French culture, and by Cajun food,"Toney said. "For a young kid coming out of Alabama, it was something. I learned how to eat crawfish etouffe. That was pretty intriguing. "I’d had numerous opportunities to go to school in the state of Alabama, but guys who were in front of me told me some things about those state schools. I didn’t want to go there."

Toney was a first-round draft choice of the 76ers, and quickly made his mark there, too. Playing 23.6 minutes per game as a rookie in 1980-81, Toney scored 12.9 points per game as instant offense off the bench. He increased that to 16.5 the next year, then scored 19.7 points per game in 1982-83 as the Sixers won the NBA title.

His scoring ability was especially deadly against the rival Boston Celtics, earning him the nickname The Boston Strangler. "Do I remember Andrew Toney? The Boston Strangler?" said Hall of Famer Larry Bird of the Celtics. "Yeah, I remember him. I wish we¹d had him. He was a killer. We called him The Boston Strangler because every time he got hold of the ball we knew he was going to score. "He was the absolute best I¹ve ever seen at shooting the ball at crucial times. We had nobody who could come close to stopping him. Nobody."

Lakers coach Pat Riley concurred, saying at the time, "He¹s the greatest clutch player I¹ve ever seen. "Toney¹s career high of 20.4 per game came in his fourth year, before recurring foot injuries slowed him. In eight NBA seasons (468 games), Toney scored 15.9 points per game, hit 50 percent of his shots and 79.7 percent of his free throws.

"When I left USL and got to the Sixers, I found it was much easier than college," Toney said. "Teams weren’t double-teaming me, triple-teaming me. I saw all that in college, box and one, triangle and one. It was totally easy. It had been a long time since I’d seen (just ) one guy in front of me. "When I first got there, my role was to come off the bench and they’d call plays for me and I¹d score a lot of points. Then (coach) Billy Cunningham said he wanted me to be a more complete player and that he wanted me to develop my all-around game. I couldn’t just go in and do what I wanted. If you’ll look, though, I never took that many shots at USL or in the NBA."

Games like those against the Celtics always brought out the best in Toney. "In rivalry games, in college or in the pros, they let me go straight," he said. "Coaches turn you loose. That¹s pretty much what Billy used to do. I had the green light any time. I knew I would get a lot of shots. Billy always did have confidence in me. I had people calling plays for me since high school. I was always looking to take the big shot."

Those early years in Philadelphia were smoothed greatly by Julius "Dr. J" Erving, the Michael Jordan of his era. "Doc pretty much took me under his wing," Toney said. "When I first got up there, I didn’t know anyone in Philly and when Christmas came he took me to New York with him. I was a rookie, and I wasn’t married to Priscilla yet. Everywhere I had to go, I¹d go with him. That was nice of him, and we developed a long-lasting friendship. I still hear from him. He lives in the Atlanta area."

Toney might be considered with Erving and Jordan among all-time greats, if not for the injuries. "I started having the injuries in 1985-86," he said. "The problem was, they didn¹t know how to handle a foot problem back then. I had to go through my attorney, (Lafayette’s) Bob Wright, who sent me to a doctor in New York. They know how to handle things like that now, but not then. I had stress fractures in each foot. I started going downhill then. It pretty much got worse. "I’ve been strong about it for a long time. That’s just how it is. I was not going to let them tell me what was wrong with me. I’ve always been a strong-minded individual."

Toney and Priscilla have daughters Chanel, 27, and Collette, 18, and son Channing, 23. Collette is a student at the University of Georgia. Channing played college basketball, finishing his career, fittingly enough at Alabama-Birmingham. Toney has enjoyed raising a family, but is realistic about the process.

"You never know what you pass along to your kids," he said. "When I played, I was on the road a lot. Basketball keeps you busy on the road. But now that we live in Atlanta, I¹m not on the road as much. I¹ve been able to take part in all three of the kids’ activities. Kids grow up quick, and you want to be there for them."

Whatever Andrew Toney decided to do, from working on his jump shot in the early morning hours at Blackham Coliseum to becoming part of a champion Sixers team to raising a family, he has done so with unique clarity. "He was one of the best players I ever coached," Paschal said. "He was very driven. A good athlete, period, who could really focus, whether as a player, a member of a team or in academics. He had tremendous confidence in himself. "He had tremendous natural quickness, unbelievable, and really worked hard to develop his body and strength as a player."

There are a handful of players who could be considered the best in UL¹s basketball history, with Toney among the few. Paschal knows who he would choose. "He¹s the best player in USL history, when you combine character, commitment, ability and how he played the game," Paschal said. "He had tremendous ability. He could not only score, he played defense and always played within the framework of the team."

"Obviously, there are times when you go to your best player, so we¹d go to him, but I would definitely not consider Andrew selfish at all. He always wanted to win, and blended into the team.²" Except for that one night in 1979, when Andrew Toney allowed himself one night for his other self, one who was just as focused in the classroom as he was on the court.

This story by Bruce Brown is a copyrighted enterprise.

Click here for a picture of Andrew and the the 1977-78 Southland Conference Champions http://athleticnetwork.net/picpopup.php?piclibID=8208

Shown above is Andrew making one of his patented drives

Shown above is Andrew and his senior teammates being honored in 1980

Click here for USL’s All-American guard shooting over an opponent http://athleticnetwork.net/picpopup.php?piclibID=8402

Click here for Andrew Toney’s Athletic Network profile http://athleticnetwork.net/site.php?pageID=55&profID=2857

Click here for the story "Throwback Thursday: Andrew Toney – The Boston Strangler" http://thestartingfive.net/2008/02/07/throwback-thursday-andrew-toney-the-boston-strangler/

Our rich athletic traditions were intrusted to the vision, hope, loyalty and dedicated of these former athletes and we will forever owe them a debt of sincere gratitude. May God Bless each of them and their families.

Anyone with information, materials, pictures, memorabilia, etc., of the university’s former athletic program participants in is requested to contact Ed Dugas at athleticnetwork@louisiana.edu Thank you.

The Photo Gallery Link located on the left side of the home page at http://www.athleticnetwork.net contains over 8,000 pictures of former and current athletes and support groups. Just click on photo gallery and when the menu appears, click on the sport or support group you wish to view. The years of pictures posted for that team or group will appear and you may click on the year you wish to view. One click on a thumbnail picture or narrative and it is enlarged; a click on the enlarged photo and it reverts back to the thumbnail.

The Athletic Network seeks to post pictures of each team and support group for each year they represented the university.

The stories of the 2008 honorees are still included in the News Page and may be viewed by clicking on "more news" at the bottom right of the News Box, scrolling down, clicking on the title of the story. Those spotlight features which are no longer shown in the News Page, have been moved to the Lagniappe Link of the "History of UL Athletics" located on the left side of the home page.

The Spotlight on Former Athletes announcement has also been placed in the profile of each honoree, excluding the pictures.

The 2009 honorees in the Athletic Network "Spotlight on Former Athletes" include:

January – Tim Thompson Men’s Basketball 1957-61.

February – Gene Bacque Baseball 1956 & 57.

March – Dr. Louis "Lou" Bowers Track & Field 1955, Tennis 1956-58, Wrestling Coach 1964-66.

April – Dr. Carter Lomax, Jr. Tennis 1974-76.

May – Johnny Morris, Jr. Football 1927-29,Men’s Basketball 1927-30,Track & Field 1928-30, Golf 1927-28, Coaches 1947-49 .

June – S.L.I.I. Athletic Pioneers I
July – S.L.I.I. Athletic Pioneers II

August – 1912 – A Special Year – First L’Acadien

September – Glenn Davis Lafleur Football 1966-69

October – Bill Bass Boxing 1938 & 39, Football 1938-40, Coach 1971-75 & 1983.

November – Tom Nolan Cross Country and Track & Field1971-76, Coach 1978-81.

December – Our Current Military Personnel (M.Cruse,S.Fontenot,K.Kramer,P.Lamy, Jr.,M.Langston)

January 2010 – Andrew Toney Men’s Basketball 1976-80.

Ed Dugas, Coordinator
Athletic Network
athleticnetwork@louisiana.edu
(337)482-0999