April 13, 2009 --
Austin Eagles.Org is proud to announce that beginning in the 2009-10 basketball season its annual “Player of the Year Award” will be named the “Tom Chilton Player of the Year Award.” “This recognizes one of the greatest basketball names in the history of our program,” said Austin Eagles.Org Director Mike Barrett. “Tom Chilton is a name Austin Basketball fans should and will always remember, he was a Division One College All-American at East Tennessee State University, and was the 30th player chosen in the 1961 NBA draft, he is an Austin basketball legend,” added Barrett.
Chilton a resident of Madison, Indiana is a 1956 Austin High School graduate, and played for Coach Ray Green during his high school career. Chilton was just 16 years old when he graduated from Austin ,and was forced to sit out one-year because of his age before he could go to college. When Tom graduated from Austin he was the Eagles all-time leading scorer and rebounder, with 923 career points and 620 career rebounds. His senior year he averaged 20.5 points per game and 15 rebounds per game. He was the first Austin basketball player to score 30 or more points in an IHSAA sectional game, with 31 against Madison in 1956.
At East Tennessee State University the 6'4" Chilton made history while rewriting the record books. Some of his ETSU records still stand; he has the top 2 single game scoring records with 52 points against Austin Peay, and 47 points against Western Kentucky in 1961. His career 26.1 points per game is a school record as is his 32.1 scoring average in 1961.
In the 1961 season Chilton garnered 1st Team Converse All-American honors, and was 2nd in the nation in scoring with a 32.1 scoring average, and 10th in the nation in rebounding averaging 16.8 rebounds per game that season.
Chilton was the 30th player chosen in the 1961 NBA draft by the St. Louis Hawks, now the Atlanta Hawks. During the exhibition season Chilton suffered a serious knee injury and his NBA career was put on hold, he was eventually drafted by the U.S. Army during the Berlin Wall Crisis. When he returned to the Hawks late in 1962, Chilton re-injured the same knee this time ending his NBA career for good.
Chilton retuned to southern Indiana and put his college degree to work in the Jennings County School systems. He eventually was hired by the Madison Indiana school system and spent 33-years teaching at Madison. Tom currently resides in Madison with his wife Judy.
Tom Chilton on being told the Austin Eagles Player of the Year award was being named in his honor.
“I really appreciate that, it means a lot to me, that’s really something.”
