Former IU men’s basketball player Archie Dees died Monday morning at age 80, IU Athletics announced Monday.
An All-American, Dees played for IU from 1955-58 and was the first player to win multiple Big Ten MVP awards in ’57 and ’58.
“Our condolences go out to Archie’s family and all of his friends,” IU Coach Tom Crean said in the release. “Archie Dees will be remembered for many great things, and being a part of Indiana basketball royalty will be one of them. When Archie was around, we always knew we were around one of the all-time best.”
Dees, a native of Ethel, Mississippi, was a star at Mt. Carmel High School in Illinois, where he scored 2,337 points during his career. That record was topped years later by IU sophomore guard Tyr
Buss paid tribute to Dees with posts on Twitter and Instagram on Monday.
“Although he is gone, the special bond we created will remain and he will always be apart of who I am,” Buss tweeted. “RIP Archie.”
Dees earned All-American honors during his junior and senior seasons as a Hoosier. When he was selected as Big Ten MVP for the first time in 1957, he received almost as many votes as all other candidates combined.
The honor came after Dees averaged 25.4 points, earning him the conference scoring record.
During the ’57 season, IU’s star forward set school records in field goals made and attempted and climbed to third place in career points with 933 in two years.
A season later, Dees led the Hoosiers in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage.
He was inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1983, before becoming a member of the IU All-Century team in 2001.
Dees’ career continued after his time in Bloomington. He was selected by the Cincinnati Royals as the second pick in the 1958 NBA Draft and also played for the Detroit Pistons, Chicago Packers and St. Louis Hawks.
Once his basketball career ended, Dees raised a family and returned to Bloomington. On Feb. 22, 2007, then-Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan honored Dees with an Archie Dees Day.
Grace Palmieri
