Richard Fuqua nicknamed "Rich" or "Richie", is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 former college basketball stand-out who is best known for being an All-American in 1972

1972 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The Consensus 1972 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The United Press International and the...

 while playing for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles men's basketball

The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represent Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The school's team currently competes in The Summit League. The team earned an automatic berth in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. It was their third...

. He is a native of Decaturville, Tennessee

Decaturville, Tennessee

Decaturville is a town in and the county seat of Decatur County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 867 at the 2010 census. It is named for war hero Stephen Decatur, Jr.-Geography:Decaturville is located at ....

 and attended Riverside High School prior to college.

Between 1969 and 1973, Fuqua scored 3,004 points in a 111-game career. He averaged 31.8 points per game (ppg) as a sophomore

Sophomore

Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...

, 35.9 ppg as a junior

Junior (education)

"Junior" is a term used in the United States to describe a student in their 3rd year of study . A Junior is considered an upperclassman...

 and 27.1 ppg for his career. In 1971–72, Fuqua's junior season, he finished second in the nation in scoring. Since Oral Roberts University

Oral Roberts University

Oral Roberts University , based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian, comprehensive university with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S. states along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries...

 did not gain NCAA Division I status until 1971 and because the school was an Independent (not affiliated with an athletic conference), Fuqua's career points and average totals do not go down in the men's basketball record books as Division I accomplishments. In February 1971, he scored 60 points in a game against the University of the South, which also does not go down in Division I history.

After his college career ended, Fuqua got drafted by the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

 (NBA)'s Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

 in the 4th round (69th pick overall) of the 1973 NBA Draft

1973 NBA Draft

The 1973 NBA Draft was the 27th annual draft of the National Basketball Association . The draft was held on April 24, 1973 before the 1973–74 season. In this draft, 17 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players...

, but never played a game in the NBA.