Ex-Piston Terry Duerod, a Detroit Titans icon and metropolis firefighter, lifeless at 64

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Whereas reflecting on the lifetime of Detroit basketball nice Terry Duerod, Dick Vitale summed up his achievements succinctly.

“He was a winner within the sport of life,” stated Vitale, who coached Duerod on the College of Detroit from 1975-77.

All the things Duerod tried, he excelled in. He had a standout faculty basketball profession that noticed him turn out to be among the finest shooters and scorers in U-D historical past, serving to to guide the Titans to an NCAA match berth in 1977. (The college turned Detroit Mercy after a merger with Mercy School in 1990.) He gained an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 1981. He was a firefighter for 28 years. He had a ardour for cooking and leaves behind a legacy as among the finest basketball gamers the town of Detroit has ever produced.

Terry “Candy Doo” Duerod died Friday at 64, following a months-long battle with leukemia. His demise got here as a shock to a lot of his associates and former teammates, as he largely stored his battle with most cancers a secret.

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“He had nice character, he cared about individuals, gave a rattling about others,” stated Vitale, who additionally coached Duerod initially of his rookie season with the Pistons in 1979. “He was a really unselfish child and simply particular. And he was Mr. Pleasure. Performed a significant half in my profession and my life, as did the opposite gamers.”

Duerod was born in Royal Oak in 1956. After main Highland Park Excessive to a Class A state title in 1975, he ended up on Vitale’s radar at U-D. He established himself as among the finest gamers in class historical past throughout his 4 years with this system, averaging 23.3 factors per sport as a senior and incomes All-American honors. He’s nonetheless presently sixth on the varsity’s all-time scoring record, with 1,690 factors.

Duerod would have benefitted significantly from the 3-point line, Vitale estimated.

“If there was a 3-point line when he performed, overlook about it,” he stated. “He would’ve had stats off the chart. He was a fantastic shooter. His vary was from the locker room.”

Duerod turned shut associates with Earl Cureton, a Detroit Finney product who performed for the Titans from 1978-80 earlier than enjoying 12 seasons within the NBA throughout 17 years.

Duerod and Cureton initially met after their senior 12 months of highschool, enjoying in video games at St. Cecilia.

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“Duerod was real,” stated Cureton, who knew of his most cancers prognosis. “He was only a man that by no means modified from the day I met him till at the moment when he handed. He was at all times that very same man. We’d been associates all through the years. I used to be greatest man at his wedding ceremony; he had been married for 38 years. He was a better husband to his spouse.”

“We talked on daily basis for the final 5 months whereas he was combating this factor,” Cureton added. “Are available in and ensure we’d had conversations on the telephone, which I’m actually blissful that we had been in a position to do this. We’d discuss for an hour, two hours backwards and forwards. We talked in regards to the playoffs, talked about gamers and I attempted to do all the things I may to consolation him whereas he was going by means of some robust instances and maintain his thoughts off of what was occurring. That’s one of the best ways I may describe him. Nice good friend, nice teammate and my mentor.”

Terry Duerod, center, applauds Earl Cureton's speech during Cureton's jersey retirement ceremony at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.
Terry Duerod, middle, applauds Earl Cureton’s speech throughout Cureton’s jersey retirement ceremony at Calihan Corridor in Detroit, Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.

Throughout Duerod’s faculty profession, U-D went 91-22 total with three journeys to the postseason (NCAA tourney in 1977 and 1979, NIT in 1978). Duerod was an integral a part of the 1977 squad which delivered the varsity’s first NCAA match victory. The Titans defeated Center Tennessee State, 93-76, earlier than shedding to Michigan within the Candy 16.

“That crew was as particular because it will get,” Vitale stated. “Michigan’s telephone finances was larger than our entire finances, but we had been capable of play with the entire large guys. We had a bunch of tenacious, robust metropolis youngsters who simply got here to play, performed with nice delight and fervour and simply all these reminiscences are hitting me at the moment large time.”

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Duerod was inducted into the Titan Corridor of Fame in 1993, and his No. 42 jersey was retired through the 2016-17 season.

Terry Duerod was a star for the University of Detroit Titans before an NBA career with the Pistons and three other teams.
Terry Duerod was a star for the College of Detroit Titans earlier than an NBA profession with the Pistons and three different groups.

The Pistons, below Vitale’s oversight, drafted Duerod within the third spherical in 1979, and he spent the 1979-80 season along with his hometown crew. The Dallas Mavericks chosen him within the 1980 growth draft, and Duerod performed 143 video games within the NBA, additionally spending time with the Celtics and Golden State Warriors.

His profession as a firefighter started in 1989 and continued till his retirement in 2016.

Duerod is survived by his spouse, Rosemary.

Contact Omari Sankofa II at osankofa@freepress.com. Comply with him on Twitter @omarisankofa. Learn extra on the Detroit Pistons and join our Pistons publication.

This text initially appeared on Detroit Free Press: Terry Duerod, Detroit Titans basketball nice, dies from most cancers at 64



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