Former Duke basketball captain Parsons dies

Bill Parsons, who was captain of Duke's 1939-40 basketball team and a two-time captain of the tennis team for the Blue Devils, died recently at his home in his hometown of Altoona, Pa., according to a Duke news release.

He was 92.

Parsons scored 226 points at Duke from 1937 to 1940 as the Blue Devils wend 44-28 during that span. He was a member of the team that won the Southern Conference championship in 1938.

In tennis, Duke was 37-17 during Parsons' career. He retired as a commander in the U.S. Navy after serving in the Pacific in World War II. Parsons and his brother, Tom, were accomplished badminton players, having been ranked as high as No. 4 in the United States in 1960.

In 1989 and 1990, Parsons was ranked No. 1 in the world in men's tennis in the 70-and-over age group.

Ken Tysiac