Rice Athletics Mourns the Passing of Tommy McGhee
2/10/2011 12:31:39 PM | General, Blog
The Rice athletics family is saddened to learn of the passing of one of its own.
Tommy's head coach during his Rice playing days, Willis Wilson, remembers McGhee as an exceptional human being.
"Tommy was a special player but even more, a special person," states Wilson. "He was a part of my family, a son to my wife, Vicki and me; one we were so very proud to have in our lives.
"A delight to coach and to be around, Tommy was a great friend and teammate to those he played ball with at Rice. He was a tenacious competitor and one of Rice's all time greatest shooters. A life gone too soon, those who knew him and loved him will miss him dearly."
McGhee was a first team All-Southwest Conference selection in 1996, when he averaged 20.5 points per game (second in the SWC), while leading the league in free throw percentage (82 percent) and in three-point field goal percentage (45 percent).
One of Tommy's finest moments came in Austin when the Owls led wire-to-wire in defeating Texas 80-69 in the 1996 season. In that contest, McGhee, a left-hander, poured in 35 points including six of seven three-pointers. He earned the Billy Wohn Award in 1996, as the team's MVP and concluded his career with 1,154 points.
Rice's hearts and prayers go out to the McGhee family.