Former Titan Student-Athletes 06.24.24

Earl Cureton To Receive Michigan Treasure Award By Michigan Sports Hall Of Fame

Former Titan Student-Athletes 06.24.24

Earl Cureton To Receive Michigan Treasure Award By Michigan Sports Hall Of Fame

Earl Cureton will be honored by the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 17.

DETROIT (6/24/2024) -- The late Earl Cureton '11 will again be remembered for his community legacy as he will receive the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame's Michigan Treasure award.

The special honor recognizes individuals or teams whose unique contributions have added greatly to the history of sports in the State of Michigan. The organization has handed out the award since 2014.

He will be honored during the 2024 MSHOF Induction Ceremony, which will be held on Oct. 17 at the Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel.

Cureton passed away on Feb. 4 after an outstanding collegiate and professional basketball career and an equally impressive mark he left in the Motor City. He served as the Detroit Pistons' community ambassador, where he worked to raise awareness for Come Together programs and NBA League-sponsored programs. He also volunteered his time for a number of initiatives, projects and community activities with the Pistons, Titans, and the City of Detroit.

A 12-year NBA veteran and a two-time NBA champion, Cureton suited up for the Titans from 1977-80 and helped U-D get back to the NCAA Tournament in his first year as the Titans went 22-6, capturing wins over Oregon, Georgetown and Marquette before coming back to lead another winning season with 14 victories in his senior campaign. He averaged 11.7 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds with 1.3 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game in 1978-79 and then topped the team in scoring (20.0) and rebounding (9.1) to go with 1.6 assists, and 1.7 blocks and steals in 1979-80. He is still 12th all-time in school history in career blocks with 79 - second when he graduated - and was inducted into the Titan Hall of Fame in 2007 and had his famed No. 24 jersey retired by UDM on Jan. 23, 2020.

He was drafted by Philadelphia with the 58th pick in the 1979 NBA Draft and began his professional career in the 1980-1981 season as the 76ers advanced to the NBA Finals during his rookie season. They would later break through to win the 1983 title, and he was also part of the Houston Rockets championship team in 1994. In his 12 years in the NBA, he played for seven playoff teams, including three years in the mid-1980s with the hometown Pistons, and averaged 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game over the course of 674 regular-season contests. He scored a career-high 25 points with 14 rebounds off the bench in a 129-113 Pistons win over the Nuggets on Jan. 17, 1986, and posted a career-best 18 boards as a member of the Clippers against the Rockets on Apr. 7, 1987.

The 2024 Hall of Fame class includes: Tony Esposito, Cecil Fielder, Larry Foote, Iván "Pudge" Rodríguez, Braylon Edwards, Jake Long, Deanna Nolan, Shawn Respert, Jim Harbaugh, Ken Holland and Don Shane.

Tickets to the event start at $25 and can be purchased here.

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