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Former Blue Devil Captain Bill Parsons Passes Away
5/13/2010 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
DURHAM, N.C. -- Bill Parsons, a captain on Duke's 1939-40 men's basketball team, passed away recently at the age of 92 in his hometown of Altoona, Pa. He was also a two-time team captain on the Duke tennis team.
Parsons scored 226 points at Duke from 1938-40, helping the Blue Devils to a 44-28 record in that span. He played 19 games in 1938 as Duke claimed its first Southern Conference Championship under legendary coach Eddie Cameron. In his final year, Parsons scored 121 points as Duke posted a 19-7 record overall, including a 13-2 mark in league play. He scored four points in Duke's 36-27 win over Princeton on Jan. 6, 1940, the first game played at the now historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.
On the tennis court, Parsons helped Duke to a 37-17 record. He reached the second round of the Southern Conference championship in 1938 and the third round of the meet in 1940. The Blue Devils posted a 15-4 record in Parsons final year.
Parsons retired as a commander in the U.S. Navy, having served in the Pacific during World War II. After graduating from Duke University in 1940, he entered the real estate and insurance business with his father and brother, Tom, known as Parsons Agency.
He and his brother held national badminton rankings, having been ranked fourth in the United States in 1960. Parsons was better known for his tennis accomplishments, having won more than 560 tournaments with rankings in the Middle States Lawn & Tennis Association. He held the Blair County tennis title for 37 consecutive years.
At the age of 55, Parsons was ranked third nationally in the 55 and older age category and fifth in the 60 and older group, as well as being ranked No. 1 in the Middle States Division. His other victories at that time included championships in the Canadian National Tournament for those 60 and older and the St. Thomas Open Tournament in the Virgin Islands.
By the age of 70, he was ranked in the Top 5 in the United States in tennis and was chosen to play on the Crawford Cup team for five years. Tournaments were held in various locations throughout the world, including Hungary, Yugoslavia, Austria, Switzerland and Australia. In 1989 and 1990, Parsons was ranked No. 1 in the world in tennis for men, 70 and older. In that category, he won the International Tennis Federation tournaments and European championships. In 1988, Parsons was inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame, with tennis legend Bobby Riggs having the honor of presenting him.
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