Ned Duncan

[50's PONY]

NJCAA Honoring Former Kilgore, SMU Star Duncan

HICKSNed Duncan, a two-time All-American and one of the top basketball players to come from East Texas, has been elected to the NJCAA Men's Basketball Hall of Fame.


Duncan and four coaches form the 2008 class, the NJCAA announced from their headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colo.



"I was very excited when I heard about it," said Duncan, who starred at Kilgore College and who has lived in Tyler for the last 50 years. "It had been mentioned before, but I didn't think about it. Then I heard about being nominated and when they called me last week, it was nice to hear. I feel very fortunate."


Joining Duncan in the induction ceremony, which is scheduled during the NJCAA Division I Tournament on March 18 in Hutchinson, Kan., are coaches Bill Carlyle, Walters State Community College (Tenn.); Joe O'Brien, formerly of Southeastern Community College (Iowa); and the late Paige Rowden, who was known as the ambassador for NJCAA basketball in the New England area and as coach at Leicester Junior College (Mass.). Leicester is now NCAA Division III Becker College.


Francis Flax of Brown Mackie College (Kan.) will be recognized at the NJCAA Division III Tournament March 19 in Danville, Ill.


Duncan, who was known as one of the best pure shooters in Kilgore College history, led the Rangers to back-to-back Longhorn Conference and Region XIV titles as well as the school's first NJCAA Championship.


Duncan starred at Cayuga High School as he helped the Wildcats to three state championships. Two of those state titles were under Joe Turner, who eventually became head coach at Kilgore College.


Cayuga won the state championship in 1951, 1953 and 1954. In 1952, the Wildcats lost in the regional final. The Wildcats were undefeated in 1951 and 1954 and lost only one game in 1953.


But how did Duncan get away from legendary coach Floyd Wagstaff at Tyler Junior College?


"If Coach Turner had not been my high school coach I would have probably played for Coach Wagstaff," Duncan said. "A friend of mine played for Coach Wagstaff - Freddie Whillock. He played on the TJC's (1951) national championship team. His brother, Ted Whillock, played with me at Kilgore."


His senior year at Cayuga, Duncan played for his cousin Lionel Duncan, and then it was off to Kilgore.


In his first season at KC (1954-55), Duncan scored 575 points and averaged 22.1 points per game and was an All-Longhorn Conference selection as well as second-team All-American.


His sophomore season was quite memorable as he totaled 704 points and averaged 22 points.


Duncan led Kilgore to the NJCAA championship and scored 23 points in title game as the Rangers defeated Hannibal-LaGrange College (Mo.), 68-65.


Duncan was named to the All-Tournament Team and one fan was quoted in the Hutchinson News-Herald that "Gene Poston (Player of the Tournament from Pueblo Junior College, Colo.) might have been the most 'outstanding' player, but Ned Duncan was the 'most valuable.'"


He was voted first-team All-Longhorn Conference and All-America.


Following his outstanding Juco career, Duncan took his magic to SMU.


Duncan and the Mustangs, who were coached by another legend Doc Hayes, made the Sweet 16 in the 1957 NCAA Tournament. The Ponies fell in the national semifinals in Dallas to the Kansas Jayhawks and Wilt Chamberlain.


The Jayhawks advanced to the national championship game against North Carolina in Kansas City, Mo., and lost a heartbreaking 54-53 triple-overtime game to the Tar Heels.


SMU won the Southwest Conference championship as Duncan averaged 9.0 points and 4.2 rebounds per game while leading the league in assists.


Duncan and one other senior returned in 1958 to tie for the Southwest Conference title with Arkansas. The Razorbacks then defeated the Mustangs in a playoff 61-55 to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Duncan averaged 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds a game his senior season.


Back then only one team from each conference could advance to the NCAA Tournament.


After graduating from SMU, Duncan moved to Tyler in 1958 and began working for Massey & Brown Sporting Goods. He worked there for more than 40 years until he retired in 2000.


Now, more than 50 years later Duncan, who is also known as one of the best fastpitch softball pitchers ever, will take center stage at the historic Hutchinson Sports Arena.


His wife, Donna, as well as their children and grandchildren will get a chance to relive some of his golden moments in Kansas.