University of Toledo Athletics

This Hall of Famer still stands as the second greatest scorer in University of Toledo basketball history. Mr. Tom Kozelko of Traverse City, Michigan, he scored 1,561 points as a Rocket. "Tom Terrific," as he was known in his playing days, lettered in 1971, 1972, and 1973. Tom had been freshman eligible; he undoubtedly would have lettered and probably would be the greatest scorer in history. He played on the 1971-72 Mid-American Conference Championship team. Twice he was the first-team All-MAC and twice, 1972 and 1973 he was named MAC "Player of the Year." Tom owns the highest single season scoring average in UT history by a junior 24.3 points per game. He stands third in our history in career scoring average, 20.8 points per game. He is second in single season average per game 24.3 points per game, and he owns the record for most points in one season, 608. When he left UT, he owned a record since broken, that that for the highest field goal percentage in a single season .532 percent.  Tom's talents were appreciated outside the Mid-American conference too; he was named most valuable player and all-tournament in the Sugar Bowl Classic as a sophomore. As a junior he was the MVP and all-tournament in the Michigan invitational, an honor he repeated as a senior. Following the 1972 season he was one of 66 players chosen to compete for the U.S. Olympic Team and was finally chosen as an alternate for the team that went to Munich, Germany. Drafted in the third round by the NBA, Tom played professionally from 1973 to 1976 for the Washington Bullets. In 1977, he played professionally in Italy until a back injury forced his retirement from the game