Former UVA Great Buzzy Wilkinson Passes Away

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Jan. 19, 2016

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Buzzy Wilkinson, a 1955 All-American and the third-leading all-time scorer at Virginia, passed away on Friday, Jan. 15, in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He was 83 years old.

Wilkinson was one of the most prolific scorers in the nation from 1953-55 and earned All-America honors his senior season. He finished his career as a Cavalier with a scoring average of 28.6 points per game — still a UVA and ACC record.

Wilkinson’s number 14 is one of seven numbers retired in men’s basketball at Virginia.

Wilkinson holds the ACC and Virginia record for season scoring average of 32.1 points per game in 1954-55 and was one of the first three collegians to average 30 points or more per game over the course of an entire season. He became one of the few collegians to average at least 30 points in a season twice, collecting 30.1 points during his junior campaign.

Wilkinson’s UVA career scoring record of 2,233 points stood for nearly 26 years before it was broken in 1981 by Jeff Lamp. He scored 40 or more points 10 times — no other Virginia player has recorded more than one 40-point game. He totaled a program-record 36 career 30-point performances.

Wilkinson was honored as the Cavaliers’ 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament Legend at the annual ACC Basketball Legends Brunch.

An outstanding pure shooter, the 6-2 guard was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1955, but his career was shortened by an automobile accident.

Funeral services will be private, according to the Mercer Funeral Home.