A Non Pareil
John added more to Stu’s Nomination. The stats were compiled by Dave.
Note: A Classmate was asked if he knew how Stu was nominated for the Hall of Fame. His reply –
“The nominations for the Hall of Fame are active/valid for two years. As a result on August 1 every other year I sent in a new nomination. I don’t know how he was accepted as a member of the 2020 cohort for the HOF, Phil, but like to think that the committee finally realized Stu was a special guy who deserved induction for his great accomplishments on the basketball court plus a sterling career and life after graduation.”
12454 Dover Court
Saratoga, CA 95070
January 28, 2013
Mr. Bob Beretta, Executive Athletic Director
ATTN: HOF Nomination
U.S. Military Academy
639 Howard Road
West Point, NY 10996
Dear Bob,
A classmate has compiled the enclosed information regarding the Hall of Fame nomination for Stewart “Stu” Sherard and I am forwarding it to you in case it will be of use to the Committee.
Sincerely,
John E. Easterbrook
STEWART “STU” SHERARD
When a member of the Class of ’62 asked John Havilecek if he remembered Stu from the 1962 East-West All-Star game, he replied, “Oh, yes!” The media guide does not mention this all-star game but members of the Class of 1962 watched the game on TV in the Weapons Room or First Class Club.
Five Army basketball players who graduated after 1962 have been inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame: Kevin Houston, Randy Cozzens, Gary Winton, Mike Silliman, and Bill Schutsky All were members of the “1,000 Career Points Club”. If any other Army player is to be inducted, he will surely also be a member of that club. Although it was a much slower game, John Roosma ’26 established his record over 5 years.
If one eliminates from consideration freshman year statistics, since Stu played in an era when freshmen were not eligible to play varsity sports, and if all three-point goals scored by 1,000-point scorers are counted as two points, since the three-point goal was introduced to college basketball long after Stu graduated, our classmate ranks among 1,000-point scorers not already in the HOF as follows:
- Career total points: second
- Single season total points: sixth
- Number of 30+ points in a game: 13th [The Army media guide does not credit Stu with even one 30-point game but we found two with little effort. Six of those ahead of Stu in this category played during the three-point goal era but we had no way to count their three pointers as only two points.]
- Career points per game average: Second
- Single season points per game average: Second
- Career field goals made: Fourth
- Single season field goals made: Sixth
- Career free throws made: Second
- Single season free throws made: Seventh
- Career free throw percentage: Third
- Single season free throw percentage: Fifth
When we, members of the Can Do Class, think basketball, we think Stew Sherard. After all these years, his name — the media guide calls him Stu, but Howitzer confirms the correctness of Stew — is found all over the Army record book as follows:
*Named All-American (honorable mention) by the Converse Yearkbook.
*One of 24 members of the 1,000-point club. (His entry contains an error in the calculation of his free-throw percentage.)
*Number 10 all-time career scoring leader and was number one upon graduation. Only one player with just three years of varsity eligibility, Mike Silliman, scored more points. Only three players finished their careers with more average points per game than Stew (19.4). (Another error appears in his career ppg average.)
*Number 7 all-time in points per game and third upon graduation.
*Had seventh best season points per game average, 22.7, second upon graduation.
*One of only three Army basketball players who led their teams in scoring each year of eligibility.
*Number six in career free throws made, number one upon graduation.
*Number five in career free throw percentage, number one upon graduation.
*Had sixth best season free throw percentage, number one upon graduation.
*One of only four Army basketball players who led their teams in free throw percentage each year of eligibility. (Another error appears in this chart.)
*Stew making 15 of 15 free throws against Rider College is surpassed only by 16 for 16 by Kevin Houston.
That comes to five Academy records held at graduation.
The sleepy-eyed, rail-thin, hunched shouldered jump-shooting Missourian thrilled us for three years on Wednesday afternoons (I went to almost every game) and Saturdays.
He was team captain First Class year, never scored 30 points in a game (according to the media guide) but the 1960 Howtizer credits him with a 34-point performance against Massachusetts.
Stu was the Most Valuable Player of the 1962 East-West All-Star game, draining long jumpers over all those future pros.
When asked several years ago by Tom Culver if he remembered Stew from that game, John Havilecek replied, “Oh, yes!” Oddly, the media guide does not mention this all-star game but we who watched the game on TV in the Weapons Room (or maybe it was the First Class Club) will not forget it. My personal recollection includes a brief spell where Stew was having difficulty guarding Nate Archibald, but that in no way tarnishes the luster of this roundball hero.
For What They Gave on Saturday Afternoon 