Roy Irvin, MVP Of USC Men's Basketball 1954 NCAA Final Four Team, Dies
May 24, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Features
Roy Irvin, the MVP of the 1954 USC men's basketball team that finished in fourth place at the NCAA Tournament, died on Sunday (May 19) in Orange, Calif. He was 86.
Services will be private.
Irvin, a 6-5 center, earned All-American third team and All-Pacific Coast Conference first team honors as a junior in 1954 while guiding the Trojans to a 19-14 record and the PCC title in addition to the NCAA Final Four appearance. He led USC in scoring and rebounding that year (13.0 and 7.8 averages). He made the NCAA All-Tournament team while averaging 18.8 points in 4 games.
After coming to USC from Montebello (Calif.) High and Fullerton (Calif.) Junior College, Irvin was a 3-year (1953-55) letterman at Troy. He set the USC career records for rebounds (768) and rebounding average (9.1), marks that today still rank eighth and seventh best, respectively. He was USC's co-captain as a 1955 senior, topping the team in rebounding (12.4) while averaging 13.2 points. He twice won USC's Most Improved Player Award (1953-54).Â
He was a ninth round pick by the Rochester Royals in the 1954 NBA Draft, but did not play in the pros.
After USC, Irvin worked in the oil industry.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mary, sons Jeff and Chris and 5 grandchildren (Courtney, Ben, Jack, Cole and Dale). Grandson, Cole, is a pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
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Services will be private.
Irvin, a 6-5 center, earned All-American third team and All-Pacific Coast Conference first team honors as a junior in 1954 while guiding the Trojans to a 19-14 record and the PCC title in addition to the NCAA Final Four appearance. He led USC in scoring and rebounding that year (13.0 and 7.8 averages). He made the NCAA All-Tournament team while averaging 18.8 points in 4 games.
After coming to USC from Montebello (Calif.) High and Fullerton (Calif.) Junior College, Irvin was a 3-year (1953-55) letterman at Troy. He set the USC career records for rebounds (768) and rebounding average (9.1), marks that today still rank eighth and seventh best, respectively. He was USC's co-captain as a 1955 senior, topping the team in rebounding (12.4) while averaging 13.2 points. He twice won USC's Most Improved Player Award (1953-54).Â
He was a ninth round pick by the Rochester Royals in the 1954 NBA Draft, but did not play in the pros.
After USC, Irvin worked in the oil industry.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Mary, sons Jeff and Chris and 5 grandchildren (Courtney, Ben, Jack, Cole and Dale). Grandson, Cole, is a pitcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization.
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