Former Clemson basketball player Bill Ross died Monday in an
automobile accident in the state of Florida. A four-year letterman
under Head Coach Bill Foster from 1978-82, Ross was 52 at the time of
his death.
Ross was the only person who died in the five-car
accident that took place around 8 a.m. in Sebring, FL. Ross was stopped
at a red light when he was hit from behind by another car. He was
wearing a seat belt and was on his way to work at Progress Energy, the
company he had worked for the last 20 years.
Ross, a 1982 Clemson
graduate, was a part of the first senior class in school history to
play in four postseason tournaments, including the 1979-80 team that
reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, the only time a Clemson
team has been one game away from the Final Four. Ross played in 106
games in his career, 29 as a starter. He scored 513 points, had 303
rebounds and shot 49 percent from the field, including 53 percent as a
senior in the 1981-82 season.
A native of Lake Placid High
School, Ross averaged 5.4 points per game as a freshman in 1978-79. He
was named the ACC Rookie of the Week for his play in the 1978 Sun Bowl
Carnival, a tournament Clemson won with triumphs over UTEP and Texas
Tech.
Ross played in 25 games and averaged 2.3 points a game
during the 1979-80 season. As a junior, the 6-10 center saw his most
playing time, as he appeared in 31 games, 20 as a starter. He started
20 of the last 22 games that year and averaged 5.8 points per game.
Ross
had the most significant game of his career in a landmark Clemson
victory on December 29, 1980 against Indiana. Playing in the Rainbow
Classic in front of a sellout crowd in Honolulu, Hawaii, Ross made his
first start of the season and led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points
on 6-10 shooting in the Tigers 58-57 victory over the number-15 ranked
Hoosiers.
Bobby Knight’s team led by Isiah Thomas went on to
win the national championship that year and it is still the only time a
Clemson basketball team has beaten the eventual national champion.
Ross went up against Indiana frontcourt stars Landon Turner and Ray
Tolbert that night and keyed the victory. His 19-foot jumper with 49
seconds left cut the Hoosiers lead to one. Forty seconds later Chris
Dodds hit what proved to be the game winner.
Ross averaged 5.6
points a game as a senior in 1981-82. He played an even 400 minutes as a
top reserve in 27 games. He saved his best performance for his Senior
Day game, as he scored a career high 19 points on 8-9 shooting in a win
over Maryland-Eastern Shore.
Ross is survived by his wife, Joanie, and son, Dylan.
