Dantley added to ND Ring of Honor Friday
Published 6:01 pm Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Former Irish great Adrian Dantley will be inducted into the Notre Dame Ring of Honor Friday night. (Photo courtesy The University of Notre Dame)
NOTRE DAME, Ind — The legendary Adrian Dantley will be added to the Notre Dame Ring of Honor Friday night at halftime of the Fighting Irish men’s regular season home finale.
Dantley, the 1976 national college basketball player of the year, a member of the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame and U.S. Olympian, will join Austin Carr, Luke Harangody and Ruth Riley in the Ring of Honor.
Harangody, who played for the Irish from 2006-10, was the school’s first inductee in February 2010. Riley (1997-2001), who helped lead the Irish women’s basketball program to the national championship in 2001, became the second member the Ring of Honor in November 2010, while Austin Carr (1968-71), who still remains the program’s career scoring leader with 2,560 points, became the third honoree when he was inducted in February 2011.
Named the national player of the year as a junior in 1975-76 by the United States Basketball Writers Association, Dantley was a two-time first-team All-American in 1974-75 and 1975-76. He also was a member of the United States Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal in Montreal in 1976.
Dantley was named to Notre Dame’s All-Century Team in conjunction with the school’s yearlong celebration of the 100th season of the program during the 2004-05 campaign. He averaged 18.3 points per game as a starting forward as a freshman for the Irish in 1973-74. Dantley finished second nationally in scoring as a sophomore with a 30.4 average, ranked fourth nationally in scoring as a junior in ‘75-’76 with a 28.6 average and served as captain of Digger Phelps’ Irish team as a junior. He played on teams that finished 26-3, 19-10 and 23-6, earning mention on NCAA all-regional teams as a sophomore and junior.
Dantley ranks third on the Irish career scoring list (behind Carr and Harangody) with 2,223 points. He posted a 25.8 career scoring average and a 9.8 career rebound average and made more free throws (615) than any player in Irish history.
Notre Dame (20-10, 12-5 Big East) will host Providence Friday night at the Purcell Pavillion. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
