PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men's basketball family mourns the loss of Scarlet Knights legend Clarence Tillman, who passed away on Sunday.
Services for Tillman will be held on Friday, Dec. 17 at Pinn Memorial Baptist Church (2251 North 54th Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19131) with a public viewing from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m.
The 6-foot-8 forward played three seasons for the Scarlet Knights from 1980-83 and averaged 11.7 points-per-game during his time in Piscataway.
Tillman was one of the top contributors to the magical run during 1982-83 season, where Rutgers finished (23-8) and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, defeating Louisiana 60-53 on Friday, March 18, 1983.
Tillman was RU's leading scorer in the victory over Louisiana with 11 points in 21 minutes played. The victory would go on be the only RU win in the NCAA Tournament, until the 2020-21 team defeated Clemson 60-56 last season. The Scarlet Knights would play down to the wire in the Sweet Sixteen against St. John's and future NBA Hall of Famer Chris Mullin.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Clarence Tillman," head coach
Steve Pikiell said. "Clarence was one of the all-time great Scarlet Knights and of course a cherished member of the 1983 team. Our program has been built on the contributions that legends like Clarence made, and we look to honor him on and off the court."
Clarence who was nicknamed "Eggy", grew up in West Philadelphia and became a household name in his home city in the 1970s. In his three years at West Philadelphia High School, his team lost just one game.
West Philadelphia High become the nation's top team during his junior season in 1977. Tillman led his high school to a 30-0 record in 1977. In his three seasons, his high school team had a run where they won an impressive 68 games in a row.
Tillman was honored in the first-ever McDonald's All-American after his senior season and was ranked as the number one small forward in the nation.
Tillman was the first-ever McDonald's All American from the state of Pennsylvania and the game was played at the Philadelphia Spectrum.
The forward went on to play his first year of college basketball at the University of Kentucky in 1978, before transferring to Rutgers for his final three years of eligibility.
Tillman would go on to play professional basketball for a few seasons in the Continental Basketball Association. Following his stint in the CBA, Tillman took his talents internationally to Europe, South America and the Caribbean. Tillman played overseas professionally for 13 seasons. Tillman lived with his wife Carol and dog Lucky in his home of South Philadelphia.
Check out this video of Tillman reliving his incredible playing career below:
