Titans Lose A Legend With The Loss Of Terry Duerod
Reposted From The Official UDM-Titans Website
DETROIT (11/13/2020) — The Titan family is in mourning today with the news that they have lost one of their all-time great players as Terry Duerod entered eternal life on Friday after battling Leukemia.
“He did so many things in his life, made so many great transitions,” said former teammate and lifelong friend Earl Cureton. “Not just in basketball, but being a husband, being a friend, being a firefighter and everything he did, he excelled at. That is the only way I can sum him up, he was a one of a kind guy.”
Duerod, 64, was known as “Sweet Doo” during his time with the Titans from 1975-79, helping the men’s basketball program rise to national status. He was known as one of the best shooters in the game in a time when there was no 3-point line.
The sharpshooter finished his career scoring 1,690 points, which is still sixth in school history and fourth when he graduated. In 111 career games, he tallied 15.2 points per game and is among the top 10 career leaders in field goals (third with 790) and field goal attempts (fourth with 1,542).
“So sad to learn about the passing of Terry Duerod,” said former coach Dick Vitale. “He is one of the really special players at the University. I am absolutely crushed. I found out with a phone call from his wife this morning that he had passed from cancer. He was unique. He was Mr. Excitement. When the ball was in his hands, the crowd was in a frenzy. His range was the minute he came out of the locker room. I am telling you, if there was a 3-point line during that era, he would have put points up at a staggering rate and his stat totals would be way higher than they are.”
During his time, he helped the Titans to one of their best runs in school history compiling a 91-22 record with three trips to the postseason and two postseason victories. The Titans made the NCAA Tournament in 1977 — with a win in the first round — and 1979 as well as the NIT in 1978 — tallying another triumph.
In 1977, the Titans won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game with a 93-76 win over Middle Tennessee State, before falling to Michigan, 86-81, a game that many thought could have been for the national championship itself. During the year, the Titans went on the road and defeated eventual national champion Marquette, and ended the season ranked No. 12.