CLEMSON, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – Elden Campbell’s teammates, coaches, friends and family held a celebration of life in honor of Clemson’s all-time leading scorer Friday night at the Best Western Hotel in Tiger Town.
Campbell died in early December after suffering a heart attack and drowning while fishing in Florida at 57 years old.
He was a three-time All-ACC selection.
Campbell came to Clemson as a freshman in 1986-87 and helped the Tigers to a 25-6 record and the NCAA tournament as Horace Grant’s backup center. As a sophomore he stepped into the starting lineup and averaged a career best 18.8 points per game and was a Third Team All-ACC selection. As a junior in 1988-89 he was a Second Team All-ACC choice and averaged a team-best 17.5 points per game for Clemson’s NCAA Tournament team.
As a senior in 1989-90, he teamed with Dale Davis to give Clemson one of the top frontcourt combinations in college basketball. Both were named honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press, the only time Clemson has had two All-Americans on the same team.
Campbell led the 1989-90 Tigers in scoring with a 16.4 average. Clemson won the ACC regular season championship for the only time in school history, finished with a 26-9 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
Campbell finished his Clemson career with 1,880 points, a record that still stands 35 years after he played his last game. He is still first in career made field goals (754), tied for first in career double figure scoring games (97), second in blocked shots (334), third in 20-point scoring games (34), seventh in made free throws (369) and eighth in career rebounds (836).
“I am deeply saddened to learn of Elden Campbell’s passing,” said Cliff Ellis, Campbell’s head coach at Clemson. “Elden was a great player for four years, especially in 1989-90 when he was a major reason we won Clemson’s only ACC regular season championship. He went on to a 15-year career in the NBA and won a World Championship.”
“But most of all, Elden was an outstanding, giving person. This is a sad day for the Clemson family. Elden loved Clemson, he came back and supported the program after he retired. He exemplified what Clemson was all about.”
Campbell was the first-round draft choice, the 27th overall selection, of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1990 NBA draft. He played for the Lakers for nine years and is still third in Lakers history in blocked shots, trailing only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal. He played in the NBA FInals for the Lakers against the Bulls his rookie year.
Campbell went on to play 15 total seasons in the NBA. He played four years with the Charlotte Hornets, then played for the Detroit Pistons for two seasons, including the Pistons World Championship team of 2003-04. Campbell retired at the end of the 2004-05 season. He finished with 10,805 points and 6,116 rebounds and 1,602 blocked shots.
