Virginia Tech Flashback Friday: Dell Curry

Even though the Hokies have concluded the 2016-17 basketball season, it still feels good to be talking about Tech hoops in March. Why not continue that with our flashback?

This week we take a look at the career of Wardell Stephen Curry I.

Dell Curry is easily one of Virginia Tech’s best overall athletes in any sport. His No. 30 jersey is one of just four men’s basketball numbers hanging in the rafters at Cassell Coliseum and was actually the first retired number in program history.

Curry excelled on the court growing up. He finished his career at Fort Defiance Hgh School as the all-time leading scorer in school history. In 1982, Curry was named to the McDonald’s All-American team along with Duke’s Johnny Dawkins, North Carolina’s Brad Daughtery, and Oklahoma’s Wayman Tisdale.

He also excelled on the baseball diamond where his performance in high school garnered the attention of professional scouts. Curry was selected in the 37th round of the 1982 Major League Baseball draft by the Texas Rangers.

It’s worth mentioning that Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer was also selected in 1982 in the 13th round by the Atlanta Braves. Virginia Tech star slugger Franklin Stubbs was also chosen that year with the 19th overall selection by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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On the basketball side, Curry excelled during the successful Charlie Moir years. Before the advent of the three-point line, Curry displayed his deadly shooting from all over the court—much the way his son Wardell Stephen Curry II does for the Golden State Warriors.

Below is the end of Tech’s 1986 victory over No. 2 Memphis State. As stated on the ancient Raycom Sports broadcast, the Tigers would have risen to No. 1 in the polls with a win in Blacksburg. Curry is joined by a cast that included Bobby Beecher and Keith Colbert who both averaged double figures that season.

It’s an interesting watch as the Hokies knocked off the only unbeaten team still remaining in college basketball at the time.

Shout out to Memphis State’s Baskerville Holmes who has one of the greatest names I’ve ever heard.

Curry started immediately at Tech and put up 14.5 points per game during his first college season. He averaged double figures in scoring during every season of his career with the Hokies culminating with an average of 24.1 PPG his senior year in 1985-86.

That season, Curry was named a Consensus All-America second team pick as well as Metro Conference Player of the Year.

After posting a career 6-1 record and 3.81 ERA primarily as a reliever for the baseball team, Curry was once again selected in the Major League Baseball draft. This time he was chosen in the 14th round with the 359th pick by the Baltimore Orioles.

He chose not to sign and stuck with basketball.

Dell was selected with the 15th overall pick of the 1986 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz. He played one season there and was then traded to Cleveland where he averaged double figures in scoring for the first of what would be ten consecutive seasons.

The Cavaliers allowed him to be selected by the expansion Charlotte Hornets where Curry would become a three-point shooting fixture off the bench. Curry played 10 seasons in Charlotte where he still holds numerous records, most notably games played (701) and points (9,839).

For his Tech career Curry is second in career scoring just behind Bimbo Coles, though Dell does have the record for most career double-figure scoring games (115) among many other marks.

He will forever be known as one of the greatest player in Tech history, and as it rurns out, he’s still got a little magic touch left.