Former Notre Dame men's basketball player John Shumate died Monday morning at the age of 72.
Shumate, a 6-foot-9 center from Elizabeth, N.J., was a two-time All-American and a two-time captain for Notre Dame men's basketball. He held those honors in the final two seasons of his Notre Dame career (1971-74).
Shumate finished his time with the Irish averaging a double-double: 22.6 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game. He accumulated 1,334 points and 684 rebounds in 59 games. Shumate did all that after recovering from blood cots in his leg and an infection near his heart, which prevented him from playing as a sophomore.
Notre Dame made a run to the NIT championship game in Shumate's junior season. Shumate was named the tournament's MVP despite a 92-91 loss to Virginia Tech in the final.
During Shumate's senior season, which the Irish finished 26-3 and a perfect 15-0 at home, Notre Dame ended No. 1 UCLA's 88-game winning streak. Shumate scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, including the final one to secure the 71-70 victory over UCLA.
Shumate was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the fourth overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. He missed his rookie season due to a blood clot and didn't play again in the 1978-79 season due to blood clotting. Shumate averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds across 318 games in five NBA seasons.
Shumate stayed involved with basketball as a coach and scout after his playing career. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach for Notre Dame (1981-82 and 1986-88) around three seasons as the head coach at Grand Canyon. He later became the head coach at SMU (1988-95).
Shumate then spent time in the pro ranks as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors and in various roles with the Phoenix Suns. He also worked one season as the head coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.
The Notre Dame men's basketball program inducted Shumate into its Ring of Honor in Purcell Pavilion in 2022. Here's a video Notre Dame produced for his induction.
Photo credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Shumate, a 6-foot-9 center from Elizabeth, N.J., was a two-time All-American and a two-time captain for Notre Dame men's basketball. He held those honors in the final two seasons of his Notre Dame career (1971-74).
Shumate finished his time with the Irish averaging a double-double: 22.6 points per game and 11.6 rebounds per game. He accumulated 1,334 points and 684 rebounds in 59 games. Shumate did all that after recovering from blood cots in his leg and an infection near his heart, which prevented him from playing as a sophomore.
Notre Dame made a run to the NIT championship game in Shumate's junior season. Shumate was named the tournament's MVP despite a 92-91 loss to Virginia Tech in the final.
During Shumate's senior season, which the Irish finished 26-3 and a perfect 15-0 at home, Notre Dame ended No. 1 UCLA's 88-game winning streak. Shumate scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, including the final one to secure the 71-70 victory over UCLA.
Shumate was selected by the Phoenix Suns with the fourth overall pick in the 1974 NBA Draft. He missed his rookie season due to a blood clot and didn't play again in the 1978-79 season due to blood clotting. Shumate averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds across 318 games in five NBA seasons.
Shumate stayed involved with basketball as a coach and scout after his playing career. He spent three seasons as an assistant coach for Notre Dame (1981-82 and 1986-88) around three seasons as the head coach at Grand Canyon. He later became the head coach at SMU (1988-95).
Shumate then spent time in the pro ranks as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors and in various roles with the Phoenix Suns. He also worked one season as the head coach of the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury.
The Notre Dame men's basketball program inducted Shumate into its Ring of Honor in Purcell Pavilion in 2022. Here's a video Notre Dame produced for his induction.
Photo credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
