Terry Catledge

Terry DeWayne Catledge (born August 22, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who played as a power forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for eight seasons from 1985 to 1993.^[1] Catledge was born in Houston, Mississippi, and developed his basketball skills at Houston High School, where he emerged as a standout athlete.^[1] He continued his career at the University of South Alabama from 1982 to 1985, appearing in 86 games while scoring 1,866 points (21.7 per game) and grabbing 932 rebounds (10.8 per game) overall.^[2]^[3] During his college tenure, he earned two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year honors, first-team All-Sun Belt selection, All-America honorable mention accolades from outlets including the Associated Press and Sporting News, and had his jersey number 23 retired by the school in March 1985; he was later inducted into the South Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.^[2] In the 1985 NBA draft, Catledge was selected 21st overall in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers after his standout senior season of 25.6 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.^[1]^[2] He began his professional career with the 76ers in 1985–86 as a backup to Charles Barkley, averaging 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 65 appearances.^[4] Traded to the Washington Bullets in 1986, he became a starter and peaked with the team in 1988–89 at 14.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game over 80 contests.^[1] Selected by the Orlando Magic in the 1989 NBA expansion draft, Catledge served as a key early leader for the franchise, achieving his career-best 1989–90 season with averages of 19.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in 74 games while scoring a personal high of 49 points against the Golden State Warriors on January 13, 1990.^[4] Over his eight-year NBA tenure across 515 regular-season games—starting 379—he compiled career averages of 12.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game, along with 19 playoff appearances.^[1]

Early years

High school career

Terry DeWayne Catledge was born on August 22, 1963, in Houston, Mississippi, a small town with a population of around 3,800 located about 40 miles from Tupelo.^[1]^[5] As the youngest of six children to blue-collar workers Bobbie Jean and William Catledge Sr., Catledge grew up in a modest neighborhood and developed close ties to his parents, later demonstrating this bond by building them a $150,000 five-bedroom home in Houston.^[5] From a young age, he exhibited a strong work ethic, taking jobs such as waxing floors at the local high school gym and cleaning streets and the town cemetery starting at age eight.^[5] Catledge attended Houston High School in Houston, Mississippi, where he honed his basketball skills and emerged as a dominant forward.^[1] Under coach Lanny Gooch during his senior year, he was regarded as one of the finest basketball players from northern Mississippi, showcasing exceptional athleticism and contributing significantly to the team's efforts.^[5] His high school tenure laid the foundation for his future success, earning him local recognition as a standout athlete in the community.^[5] In honor of his contributions, Houston High School retired Catledge's jersey in a ceremony held on October 30, 2022, at the school gym, where his banner was unveiled alongside that of another alumnus, Chris Jones.^[6] During the event, Catledge expressed deep emotional ties to his hometown, reflecting on recent personal losses including his mother and two siblings while surrounded by family members such as a sister, aunt, uncle, and numerous nieces and nephews still living in Houston.^[6] This recognition underscored his lasting impact on the school's basketball legacy, paving the way for his transition to college basketball at the University of South Alabama.^[6]

College career

Terry Catledge enrolled at the University of South Alabama in 1982, where he played forward for the Jaguars basketball team in the Sun Belt Conference through the 1984–85 season.^[3] Over his three collegiate seasons, he established himself as a dominant scorer and rebounder, averaging 21.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game across 86 games.^[3] His efficiency from the field was notable, particularly in his freshman and sophomore years, where he shot over 55% in each campaign while leading the team in scoring.^[3] Catledge's impact earned him significant conference recognition, including two Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year awards in 1984 and 1985, first-team All-Sun Belt honors all three years, and All-America honorable mention accolades from the Associated Press, Sporting News, and other outlets.^[3]^[2] He set multiple single-season school records during his tenure, such as most points (718 in 1984–85), field goals (285), and free throws (157).^[2] By the end of his career, he ranked among South Alabama's all-time leaders with 1,866 points and 932 rebounds.^[2] In recognition of his contributions, South Alabama retired Catledge's No. 23 jersey in March 1985, shortly after his final season.^[2] He was later inducted into the university's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999.^[2] During his senior year, Catledge's performance culminated in his selection as the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 1985 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.^[1]

Professional career

NBA career

Terry Catledge was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the 21st overall pick in the first round of the 1985 NBA draft.^[1] As a rookie in the 1985-86 season, he appeared in 64 games, starting 7, and averaged 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game while playing primarily as a backup power forward.^[1] On June 16, 1986, Catledge was traded to the Washington Bullets along with Moses Malone, a 1986 first-round pick, and a 1988 first-round pick in exchange for Cliff Robinson and Jeff Ruland.^[1] He spent the next three seasons with the Bullets from 1986-87 to 1988-89, establishing himself as a key frontcourt contributor; in his debut season of 1986-87, he started 77 of 78 games and averaged 13.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.^[1] Over his time in Washington, Catledge demonstrated consistent scoring and rebounding prowess, appearing in 227 games with averages of 11.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.^[1] Catledge was selected by the Orlando Magic from the Bullets in the 1989 NBA expansion draft on June 15, 1989.^[1] He played four seasons with the Magic from 1989-90 to 1992-93, reaching the peak of his NBA career during the franchise's inaugural 1989-90 season, where he started 72 of 74 games and averaged 19.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.^[1] That year, on January 13, 1990, Catledge scored a career-high 49 points in a 138-127 loss to the Golden State Warriors.^[7] Across his 224 games with Orlando, he averaged 15.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, often serving as a versatile scorer capable of mid-range jumpers and post play.^[1] Over his eight-season NBA career spanning 515 games with 379 starts, Catledge accumulated 6,520 points and 3,314 rebounds, averaging 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game.^[1] As a 6-foot-8 power forward, he was valued for his rebounding tenacity and scoring efficiency in the frontcourt, contributing to team offenses through versatile inside-out play.^[4]

Post-NBA career

After departing the NBA following the 1992-93 season, where he averaged 12.7 points and 6.4 rebounds over his eight-year career, Catledge ventured abroad by signing with Élan Béarnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez in France for the 1993-94 season.^[1] In European club competition, he appeared in two games for the team, posting averages of 26.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game before returning to the United States in November 1993.^[8] Catledge then joined the Oklahoma City Cavalry of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) for the remainder of the 1993-94 season, providing veteran leadership as a former first-round NBA draft pick.^[9] The following year, in 1994, he played for the Mississippi Coast Gamblers in the United States Basketball League (USBL), where he averaged 33 points per game, including a 44-point debut.^[10] Later that summer, Catledge began the 1994-95 season with Aris Thessaloniki in Greece's top league but departed after a brief stint.^[11] Returning to the CBA in November 1994, Catledge signed with the Shreveport Crawdads, appearing in 10 games during the 1994-95 season and averaging 20.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game before leaving in February 1995.^[12] In the 1995-96 CBA season, he was waived after one game with the Grand Rapids Hoops. He then signed with the Shreveport Storm (the renamed Crawdads franchise) in December 1995, but left after one game in which he scored 6 points.^[13] In January 1996, Catledge made his final professional appearance with Atenas de Córdoba in Argentina's Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, playing five games and averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds per game before retiring from basketball later that year.^[14]

Legacy and personal life

Honors and achievements

In recognition of his outstanding high school career, Houston High School in Houston, Mississippi, retired Catledge's number 23 jersey in October 2022 during a ceremony honoring local sports legends.^[15] At the University of South Alabama, Catledge earned two Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year awards in 1984 and 1985, highlighting his dominance as a forward with exceptional scoring and rebounding prowess.^[16] The Jaguars retired his number 23 jersey in March 1985, shortly after his senior season, and he was inducted into the South Alabama Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 for his contributions to the program's success, including setting rebounding records that still stand.^[2] During his NBA tenure, Catledge achieved a career-high 49 points on January 13, 1990, against the Golden State Warriors, a performance that underscored his scoring ability in a 138-127 loss for the Orlando Magic.^[17] His 1989-90 season with the expansion Magic stands as a pinnacle, where he led the team in scoring at 19.4 points per game while ranking second in rebounds at 7.6 per game, establishing him as a prolific forward who provided stability and offensive firepower for the young franchise.^[18] Catledge's journey from a small-town Mississippi upbringing to NBA success has left a lasting legacy, inspiring generations of local talent by demonstrating the potential for overlooked athletes from rural roots to excel on national stages, as evidenced by his enduring recognition in Houston.^[15]

Family and later years

Catledge maintained strong ties to his family throughout his life, exemplified by his decision to build a five-bedroom, $150,000 red-brick ranch-style home for his parents, Bobbie Jean and William Catledge Sr., in their modest Houston, Mississippi, neighborhood around 1987.^[5] As the youngest of six children, he credited his family's support as a key motivator during his formative years, with his mother providing both discipline—such as requiring him to fetch a switch for spankings—and indulgence as the "baby" of the family, which helped sustain him through high school and college.^[5] His siblings, including brother William, an attorney who managed his businesses, and sister Virginia, who actively encouraged his career, further reinforced these bonds by rallying around him during personal challenges.^[5] Following his 1995 retirement from professional basketball, Catledge led a largely private life, with no notable involvement in coaching, business ventures, or media roles, instead focusing on community connections in Mississippi.^[6] He split his time between residences in Mobile, Alabama, and Houston, Mississippi, where extended family including a sister, aunt, uncle, and numerous nieces and nephews remained.^[6] During the 2022 retirement ceremony for his high school jersey in Houston, family members were present to share in the emotional hometown honor.^[6] Catledge endured significant personal losses in his later years, including the death of his mother, Bobbie Jean Catledge, on February 1, 2021, at age 85 in Calhoun City, Mississippi, and the passing of two siblings by 2022.^[19]^[6] These events underscored his emphasis on family and local roots amid a low-profile existence centered on personal and community ties in Mississippi.^[6]