One of the greatest athletes in Tennessee sports history died early this morning at his home in Nashville.
Bill Justus, who was a captain for Coach Ray Mears' 1969 basketball squad at Tennessee, passed away following a brief illness. Justus was one of the best pure shooters to ever play college basketball. In an NIT game against Ohio in his senior season, Justus hit 18 consecutive free throws, compiling 22 of 23 for the game That same year he was the NCAA free throw champion, hitting 90.5 percent from the line.
He was a two time All-SEC player for the Volunteers and was named a first team All-American in 1969. He was also an academic All-American as well. He came to Tennessee after being named a high school All-American in both football and basketball at Fulton High School in Knoxville. He came to Tennessee to play football but after his freshman season he switched to basketball. After graduation from Tennessee, he was drafted by the NBA, the ABA and the NFL and, at the age of 30, he began playing tennis and won numerous USTA championships.
Justus was inducted into the Knoxville Sports Hall of Fame as well as the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. In 2006 he was named an SEC Legend. He also spent several years working for Converse, holding clinics on ball handling and shooting.
There is no doubt that Bill Justus was a tremendous athlete....but he was also my friend. We did Tennessee basketball games on television for years. We traveled together, ate together and each had a mutual respect for each other. I can honestly say, Bill Justus was one of the finest men I ever knew. He never knew a stranger and loved to talk about the game of basketball, and you know he was an expert on that subject. In recent years, Bill had subbed for Vol Network analyst Bert Bertelkamp as he teamed with play by play announcer Bob Kesling.
Bill Justus garnered respect from my wife Shelia because he took great care of his mother. He would bring her to Tennessee games, check on her several times during the game and absolutely worshiped her. Every time he and i got together, I always asked him about his mom and he always appreciated it.
I hadn't seen or spoken with him in a few years and I feel guilty about that today. Sometimes we get busy or preoccupied and forget to think about folks we love. I'm going to try and do better. If you haven't talked with someone who is special to you in a while, call them or go see them. You won't regret it and neither will they.
Rest in Peace Bill Justus. You were a true Southern Gentleman and most definitely a Vol for Life.
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Randy Smith can be reached at rsmithsports@epbfi.com