Sept. 21, 2012
Bronx, N.Y. -
Former Fordham University men's basketball standout Charlie Yelverton was inducted into the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame last night in a ceremony at the New York Athletic Club.
Yelverton, a native of Manhattan who played high school basketball at Rice High School, was a member of the Rams' squads from 1968-71, leading the 1970-71 team to the NCAA Tournament and a number nine national ranking. That Fordham team went 26-3 on the year under the guidance of head coach Digger Phelps, defeating Furman in the first round of the NCAAs before falling to Villanova in the next round. The Rams did go on to defeat South Carolina in a consolation game following the Villanova loss.
Yelverton garnered a slew of awards in 1970-71, highlighted by being named an All-American and winning the 1971 Haggerty Award as the top player in the Metropolitan area. He led the team in scoring, averaging 23.3 ppg, and rebounding, averaging 12.0 rpg, while scoring a school record 46 points, connecting on 20 field goals, against Rochester, both school records that still stands today.
Over his career, Yelverton scored 1,372 points, good for 12th place on the Fordham all-time scoring list, and he grabbed 690 career rebounds, placing him 12th on the school's all-time rebounding list. The 676 points he scored as a senior in 1970-71 is the second best single season total in Fordham history
Following his Fordham career, Yelverton was taken with the 25th pick in the NBA draft by the Portland Trailblazer and he played the 1971-72 season in Portland. He then took his talents to Europe, playing for Ignis Varese in Italy, leading them to the 1975 Euroleague title. He also appeared in two other Euroleague finals, in 1978 and 1979, and won the Italian league championship in 1978 with Varese and the 1980 Swiss league title with Lugano.
Yelverton was inducted into the Fordham Athletic Hall of Fame in 1979 and he was among 105 nominees to the 50 Greatest Euroleague Contributors in 2008.
One of eight inductees in the 23rd class of the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, Yelverton was joined in being honored by Ricky Sobers, a Bronx native and 11-year NBA veteran; Ray Felix, a former No. 1 overall NBA draft pick out of LIU; former Knick and seven-year NBA veteran Connie Simmons; Don "Red" Goldstein, a Brooklyn native and former All-American at Louisville; Charles Granby, the first PSAL coach to reach 700 wins, and longtime NBA referee Dick Bavetta.
