Cozell McQueen was center on NC State 1983 national championship team
North Carolina State center Cozell McQueen (45) celebrates with Ernie Myers on-top on the backboard after a victory over Houston in the 1983 Final Four. NC State defeated Houston 54-52, April 4, 1983.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Cozell McQueen was center on NC State 1983 national championship team
North Carolina State center Cozell McQueen (45) celebrates with Ernie Myers on-top on the backboard after a victory over Houston in the 1983 Final Four. NC State defeated Houston 54-52, April 4, 1983.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Cozell McQueen was center on NC State 1983 national championship team
North Carolina State Wolfpack center Cozell McQueen (45) drives against the Maryland Terrapins, March 3, 1983.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Cozell McQueen was center on NC State 1983 national championship team
North Carolina State center Cozell McQueen (45) celebrates as he cuts down the net after a victory over Houston in the 1983 Final Four. NC State defeated Houston 54-52, April 4, 1983.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
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Cozell McQueen was center on NC State 1983 national championship team
North Carolina State Wolfpack center Cozell McQueen (45) shoot against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Michael Jordan (23) during the ACC tournament at The Omni. NC State defeated North Carolina in overtime 91-84, March 12, 1983.
(Malcolm Emmons, IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
Cozell McQueen, a member of Jim Valvano’s famed 1982-83 North Carolina State basketball team that won the NCAA championship, has died, the team announced in an Aug. 5 social media post.
He was 64 years old.
McQueen was a sophomore backup center on the Wolfpack team that later spawned the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, “Survive and Advance.” In 36 games that season, he averaged 3.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game on 43.1% shooting from the field.
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He shot 7-of-18 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line during the Wolfpack’s NCAA tournament run. His best game came in the Final Four against Georgia, against whom he scored eight points on 4-of-5 shooting while securing 13 rebounds. In the NCAA championship game against heavily favored Houston, McQueen — defending Hakeem Olajuwon — scored four points while bringing in 12 rebounds.
He started 66 games over his junior and senior seasons, averaging 7.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game over his four-year career in Raleigh. He went on to become a fourth-round pick (91st overall) in the 1985 NBA Draft to the Milwaukee Bucks. He played three games in the NBA in 1986-87 for the Detroit Pistons.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cozell McQueen, player on NC State 1983 championship team, dies at 64
