| Skip Young |
Full Name: Edward Young
Born: January 9, 1949
Died: March 5, 2023, Tallahassee, Fla.
School: Linden-McKinley High School in Columbus, Ohio
Legacy Bricks: Legacy Walk Map Link
2006 Basketball HOF - Loc 19
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| John Havlicek and SKIP YOUNG |
| FSU Career |
| Basketball | |
Year No Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 68-69 14 G 6-3 165 So * Columbus, OH 69-70 14 G 6-3 169 Jr * Columbus, OH 70-71 14 G 6-3 170 Sr * Columbus, OH |
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| Member of the FSU Hall of Fame |
| Elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 2006 | ||
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Skip Young was a high school star in the basketball-rich state of Ohio who, despite being heavily recruited by nearby Ohio State, decided to become a part of the program Hugh Durham was building at
Florida State. Durham had brought the first African-American player, Lenny Hall, to FSU only one year before. Due to Hall's early-season injury, Young faced the challenges of being effectively the
first starting varsity African-American athlete at FSU and one of the first in the Deep South at a predominantly white university. Young led the Seminoles to an 18-8 record in his first season as starting point guard for the varsity team in 1968-69. He helped lead Florida State to its most successful season in school history as a junior playing with future FSU and NBA Hall-of-Famer Dave Cowens on the Seminoles' 1969-70 team that finished 23-3. During his three-year career, the Seminoles had an overall record of 58-20 and he became the school's all-time assist leader. Drafted in the seventh round of the 1970 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, Young played one year with the Celtics before he returned to earn his degree in criminology and social work from FSU. He is currently the head coach at FAMU High and led the Lady Rattlers to their first state championship in 2004. Young's ability to achieve success on the basketball court and in the classroom during a period of
significant and often difficult social change was remarkable. It gained him the admiration of teammates, opponents, and the University community. Obituary for Ahmad Aliyy Published in the Tallahassee Democrat on March 6, 2023 By Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat, Sports Editor 'Well-liked and well-respected': Former FSU guard, FAMU DRS coach Ahmad Aliyy passes away
He was 73. The news of Aliyy's death stunned former FSU teammates and the community. Dave Cowens, one of FSU's most heralded players who won two NBA titles with the Boston Celtics and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991, started alongside Aliyy (then known as Skip Young) on the 1969-70 team that finished 23-3. The starting five was known as "The Busted Flush" for its one white starter in Cowens and four Black players in Willie Williams, Ken Macklin, Ron Harris and Young. "He was such a well-liked and well-respected basketball player and person," Cowens said of Aliyy. "I am just shocked. He was a good guy, a helluva' player. He was our point guard and ran our team, directed the press. I was so glad he got into coaching, too. I know he had success. ... but he was one of those guys who didn't brag about anything." >Aliyy led the Rattlers girls' basketball program to state prominence Aliyy was a familiar face in Tallahassee, specifically on the FAMU DRS sidelines. He led the Rattlers to seven Final Fours in 11 seasons, winning FHSAA state titles in 2004, 2012 and 2013. He also helped the program set top-5 state marks for most postseason tournament appearances, most tournament games played and most tournament games won. Aliyy resigned following the 2014 season with a career mark of 258-62 at the school. He later served as an assistant coach at Rickards High. "His accomplishments and dedication to the program helped to make FAMU DRS girls basketball program what it is today," current Rattlers coach Ericka Cromartie posted on Facebook Sunday afternoon. Aliyy's career also included state government work and different ventures. He provided personal training and fitness in specific basketball related skills, created an academic foundation, and organized and conducted basketball clinics. He also authored a children's books that pays tribute to his late father and was the co-founder/president of the Greater Columbus Basketball Legend Association. Following his senior season with the Seminoles, Aliyy played a short time with the Boston Celtics. He returned to Tallahassee and earned his Bachelor's in criminology and social work and Masters at FSU. Leaving Ohio for the Deep South and Florida State Even after being cut from his middle school team, Aliyy developed into one of the top high school players in Ohio in the late 1960s. Wanting to play in an offense that fit his creative style, Young signed with FSU over Ohio State in his hometown of Columbus and other Big Ten schools out of Linden McKinley High School. He helped lead his high school to its first state title and is a member of the school's Hall of Fame. It was at FSU and Tallahassee where Aliyy also made a historic impact. He was among the Seminoles' first Black scholarship players during a period of significant and often difficult social change. He helped lead FSU to a record of 58-20 during his three-year career (1968-71) and became, at that time, the school's all-time assist leader (320). Aliyy was elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 2006. Aliyy told the Democrat in a 2019 interview that FSU was one of the leaders in the South for opening the door for Black athletes. And those athletes, in turn, helped define and shape the university. "It did take adjustments, on both sides," Aliyy said. "There were threatening letters, name-calling – even from our own fans. But players got along, we genuinely liked each other and there was a bond between us.” Durham recruited the best players, regardless of color, from across the country. And he wanted his players to understand and care about each other. "No question about it, they came into the unknown," Durham said of Aliyy and other Black players. "They handled it well." During Aliyy's sophomore season, he roomed with white teammate and fellow Ohio native, senior Jeff Hogan, at Sally Hall. "It was a tough period (in the country) but I think we learned from each other," said Hogan, the former baseball coach at Florida High who also played baseball at FSU and was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1980. "We stayed up many nights talking. We offered each other different perspectives. We also became closer friends as we got older. I am telling you, he was a great player, a great guy. He had all the tools. "It's such sad news." |
| FSU Statistics |
| Basketball |
--3 Point--- ----REBOUNDS-----
Year GP GS Min FGM FGA PCT FGM FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT PTS AVG OFF DEF TOT AVG PF DQ AST TO BLK STL
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68-69 26 23 156 336 .464 .000 76 102 .745 388 14.9 118 4.5 75 2 155
69-70 26 26 151 340 .444 .000 59 80 .738 361 13.9 92 3.5 79 3 127
70-71 22 2 53 141 .376 .000 7 13 .538 113 5.1 35 1.6 50 1 38
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Tot 74 51 0 360 817 .441 0 0 .000 142 195 .728 862 11.6 0 0 245 3.3 204 6 320 0 0 0
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| Basketball |
Game Statistics 1968-69 3 Point --REBOUNDS-- Date Opponent GP GS Min FGM FGA FGM FGA FTM FTA PTS OFF DEF TOT PF AST TO BLK STL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 2 Valdosta State Coll 1 g 9 16 3 3 21 1 3 5 4 Dec 6 Miami 1 g 10 19 2 3 22 14 1 5 5 Dec 7 Jacksonville 1 g 10 16 3 3 23 2 5 1 7 Dec 14 Virginia Tech 1 g 4 13 2 4 10 3 3 4 Dec 16 Louisville 1 g 37 8 19 4 5 20 2 1 3 4 3 1 Dec 21 Southern California 1 g 4 16 3 3 11 2 1 0 5 Dec 27 Ohio State 1 g 5 17 4 5 14 9 1 1 Dec 31 New Hampshire 1 g 5 9 8 9 18 7 0 5 Jan 4 Jacksonville 1 g 5 9 0 0 10 6 4 4 3 Jan 8 Tulane 1 g 34 9 12 5 6 23 5 4 9 Jan 10 Miami 1 g 5 13 2 4 12 6 4 4 11 Jan 13 Kent State 1 4 18 3 4 11 1 3 7 Jan 18 Tulane 1 5 12 4 8 14 1 4 Jan 20 Rice 1 g 5 10 1 2 11 4 4 Jan 23 Hawaii 1 g 10 15 1 2 21 3 1 6 1 Jan 28 South Carolina 1 g 4 14 3 3 11 6 2 7 3 Feb 1 Jacksonville 1 g 7 13 2 3 16 4 4 6 Feb 3 Valdosta State Coll 1 g 3 6 0 2 6 9 2 Feb 7 Clemson 1 40 6 12 4 6 16 5 5 4 11 Feb 8 North Carolina 1 g 40 4 14 3 4 11 2 3 4 13 Feb 10 Stetson 1 g 8 12 1 2 17 4 2 6 Feb 15 Dayton 1 g 7 10 6 8 20 2 0 3 Feb 18 Georgia Tech 1 g 6 15 6 6 18 2 4 3 Feb 22 Georgia Tech 1 g 4 7 1 2 9 7 4 6 5 Feb 27 Florida Southern Col 1 g 1 5 1 1 3 4 4 Mar 1 Miami 1 g 8 14 4 4 20 6 3 3 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 26 23 151 156 336 0 0 76 102 388 2 1 118 75 96 69 0 0 1969-70 3 Point --REBOUNDS-- Date Opponent GP GS Min FGM FGA FGM FGA FTM FTA PTS OFF DEF TOT PF AST TO BLK STL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 2 Oregon State 1 g 8 15 3 4 19 8 3 2 Dec 4 Oregon 1 g 7 14 2 2 16 3 4 4 Dec 8 Rollins College 1 g 5 10 5 5 15 5 3 7 Dec 13 North Carolina 1 g 38 4 16 2 2 10 3 5 4 6 Dec 20 Georgetown 1 g 9 15 4 5 22 1 3 2 Dec 22 Louisville 1 g 7 14 3 4 17 2 1 2 Dec 27 Texas 1 g 3 9 1 1 7 1 1 7 Dec 29 Army 1 g 7 11 1 3 15 6 3 5 Dec 30 Florida 1 g 6 8 2 2 14 3 1 3 Jan 2 Pepperdine 1 g 7 10 2 3 16 4 3 2 3 Jan 3 Southern California 1 g 4 14 0 2 8 1 3 4 Jan 5 Arizona 1 g 4 12 2 3 10 6 2 Jan 9 Miami 1 g 6 16 1 1 13 6 0 5 Jan 17 Tulane 1 g 35 7 16 1 2 15 6 4 2 Jan 22 Clemson 1 g 6 19 2 2 14 6 3 6 Jan 24 Georgia Tech 1 g 5 17 2 2 12 2 4 9 5 Jan 27 Jacksonville 1 g 3 9 1 1 7 2 5 4 Jan 31 Virginia Tech 1 f 7 16 9 13 23 3 3 2 Feb 5 Kent State 1 g 9 15 3 4 21 3 4 Feb 7 Dayton 1 f 4 14 1 1 9 2 4 Feb 10 Florida Southern Col 1 g 4 12 1 1 9 2 3 7 Feb 14 Tulane 1 g 1 2 0 2 2 1 5 8 Feb 18 Jacksonville 1 g 7 16 3 3 17 4 3 4 Feb 21 Georgia Tech 1 g 5 10 5 6 15 4 3 8 Feb 26 Stetson 1 g 8 16 3 4 19 5 3 Feb 28 Miami 1 g 8 13 1 2 17 3 3 9 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 26 26 73 151 339 0 0 60 80 362 0 0 92 79 106 14 0 0 1970-71 3 Point --REBOUNDS-- Date Opponent GP GS Min FGM FGA FGM FGA FTM FTA PTS OFF DEF TOT PF AST TO BLK STL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dec 5 South Dakota 1 2 5 0 0 4 0 2 3 Dec 7 Southern Mississippi 1 1 2 0 0 2 2 1 1 Dec 12 Valdosta State Coll 1 3 13 0 0 6 3 4 3 Dec 18 Southern California 1 2 7 0 0 4 1 2 1 5 Dec 19 Miami of Ohio 1 3 12 0 1 6 2 2 3 2 Dec 23 Pan American College 1 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 Dec 31 Arizona 1 g 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 Jan 2 Pepperdine 1 4 9 2 3 10 3 3 5 Jan 8 Miami 1 6 11 0 0 12 2 4 2 Jan 11 Manhattan College 1 2 6 0 1 4 2 2 4 Jan 13 Tulane 1 19 2 7 0 0 4 2 5 0 Jan 16 Samford 1 5 6 2 2 12 3 4 3 Jan 18 Stetson 1 0 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 Jan 23 Georgia Tech 1 1 4 0 0 2 0 3 0 Jan 27 Jacksonville 1 5 9 0 0 10 1 0 1 Jan 30 Cal-Irvine 1 2 8 0 0 4 3 0 3 Feb 3 Wisconsin-Milwaukee 1 g 4 12 1 2 9 5 4 7 Feb 11 Georgia Southern 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 Feb 15 Jacksonville 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 Feb 22 North Carolina 1 15 3 10 0 0 6 4 5 1 0 Feb 25 Florida Southern Col 1 6 7 1 2 13 0 1 Feb 27 Miami 1 1 4 1 2 3 1 3 0 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Totals 22 2 34 53 143 0 0 7 13 113 0 0 36 50 38 7 0 0 |
