WVU to retire Rod Thorn’s No. 44
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West Virginia great Rod Thorn, who played from 1961-63, will have his No. 44 retired at halftime of the Feb. 29 game against Oklahoma, athletic director Shane Lyons announced Thursday.
Thorn is the last WVU player to wear the number. Jerry West also wore No. 44, and it was retired in his honor in 2005.
Thorn becomes the third Mountaineer player to have his number retired. The other is Hot Rod Hundley’s No. 33.
Thorn was born in Weirton, W.Va. but grew up in Princeton, W.Va.
He averaged 21.8 points per game during his collegiate career including 23.7 in 1962. Thorn was a three-time All-Southern Conference first team player and was the Southern Conference Athlete of the Year in 1962 and 1963.
Thorn played for Baltimore, Detroit, St. Louis and Seattle in the NBA over eight seasons, coached in Seattle, New York, Chicago, St. Louis and New Jersey before joining the NBA’s league front office in 1986.
In 2000 he became president of the New Jersey Nets and then served as president of Philadelphia in 2013.