About Tommy Burleson
Tom Loren Burleson (born February 24, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7′2″ center, Burleson played for North Carolina State University's 1974 NCAA national championship team. == Early life == Burleson is a native of Avery County, North Carolina. He was an All-American at Newland High School and Avery County High School, as well as North Carolina State University. == College == As a collegian, Burleson teamed with All-American David Thompson, guard Monte Towe and forward Tim Stoddard (who would go on to have success as a Major League Baseball pitcher) to dethrone UCLA and win the 1974 NCAA Championship. Burleson was the MVP of the 1973 and 1974 ACC Tournaments and was All-Final Four in 1974. Burleson's defense of UCLA superstar Bill Walton was key to the Wolfpack's semifinal win. He was a member of the 1973 World University Games Gold Medal basketball team. When Burleson was recruited he was officially measured at 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall, but the coaching staff at North Carolina State decided to list him at 7 ft 4 in (2.24 m). Burleson wanted to be listed at his actual height but the coaching staff said he would officially be the tallest player in American basketball and it would bring a lot of good exposure to him and the school.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.