WVU Sports Hall of Fame
Tom Lowry was one of the most productive centers in WVU’s basketball history. At 6-8, 220 pounds, the Madison, Ohio, native logged 1,104 points and 914 rebounds during his outstanding three-year varsity career.
He is among a select few Mountaineers who averaged double digits in scoring and rebounding. His norms were 12.4 points and 10.3 caroms over 89 games from 1961-64. The teams he was on posted impressive records of 24-6, 23-8 and 18-10.
In compiling an overall 65-24 mark under the late coach George King, the Mountaineers won two Southern Conference championships, a runner-up finish and berths in two NCAA tournaments with Lowry in the lineup.
He was named to the All-Southern Conference first team and also the league’s all-tournament second team as a senior in 1964. He had made the all-tournament second team in each of the previous two years. As a junior, he also made the Kentucky Invitational all-tourney team, despite a tough 79-75 loss to host UK in the finals.
His career highs were 10 field goals and 26 points in a 79-72 victory over St. John’s on Dec. 6, 1963, and 22 rebounds in an 80-76 win at Pitt on Feb. 7, 1962. He played the full 40 minutes as WVU defeated Villanova 88-82 on Jan. 6, 1962 at the old Field House.
Lowry considers a 75-73 upset of No. 3-ranked Davidson on Jan. 29, 1964 in Charleston as the most cherished conquest of his WVU career. He tallied 20 points and 19 rebounds in that thriller. He outplayed All-America Fred Hetzel, who was called for goaltending on a late desperation shot. The Wildcats disputed the costly ruling, but to no avail.
Lowry received a bachelor’s degree in business and a master’s degree in marketing. He died on April 3, 2009.
