It’s been a while since Ram fans have had the privilege of watching Hall of Famer Calvin Duncan on the court. But you need look no further than the rafters of the Siegel Center for a reminder of the greatness of one of only four men’s players to have their jersey retired at VCU.
Duncan, the Ram’s fifth leading scorer in career points, is no stranger to success on and off the court.
He lead VCU to first round wins in three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, and was a two-time AP All-American honorable mention.
After a successful college career, Calvin — having told his VCU teammates prior to a UAB game in 1984 that he was going to embrace religion — would eventually choose the Christian based Athletes in Action over playing in the NBA where he was drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 30th overall pick in 1985 (then 2nd round, 1st round in today’s NBA).
The Ram great eventually came to form his own ministry, launching Faith and Family Church with wife Barbara in 2004.
With over 1,000 members, Duncan is scoring points and handing out assists off the court, and he’s even just written a playbook of his own.
“Cross Training: A Sports Devotional” co-written with Win Davis, draws on Calvin’s background as athlete and Christian, and challenges readers to open “God’s Playbook”, encouraging them to condition their mind, body, and spirit for greater strength and greater service.
Calvin will be signing copies of the newly published book this Saturday from 12-2PM at LifeWay Christian Store located at 9840 West Broad St. in Glen Allen.
Below is a tiny sample from the book.
One of the most memorable experiences of my basketball career was being invited to try out for the American National Team, a team that would later compete at the Pan American Games. There, at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I competed against the very best players in the world – literally a Who’s Who of Hoops. Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, John Stockton, and other NBA stars were all there. I had to have faith in myself just to compete, and I gave everything I had to be noticed among players who would one day be in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
