| Overall UK Wins: 3 | Overall UK Losses: 0 | Win % 100 |
Date of Birth: September 20, 1916
Date of Death: December 4, 2001
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Alma Mater: Michigan [1938]
For a generalized listing of officials, please consult this page.
| Date | Matchup | W/L | Score | UK Fouls | Opp Fouls | UK FTA | Opp FTA | UK DQ | Opp DQ | Technicals | Officiating Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2/4/1944 | DePauw at Kentucky | W | 38 - 35 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 1 | - | Referee - Dan Tehan (Cincinnati) and Umpire - John Townsend (Indianapolis) |
| 12/16/1944 | Kentucky vs. Indiana | W | 61 - 43 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 0 | 1 | - | Referee - John Townsend (Michigan) and Umpire - Jim Beiersdorfer (Oregon) |
| 12/23/1944 | Ohio State at Kentucky | W | 53 - 48 OT | 18 | 22 | 24 | 20 | 0 | 3 | - | John Townsend (Michigan) and Jim Beiersdorfer (Oregon) |
| Average of Totals: (Of Known Stats) | 14.7 | 16.3 | 18.3 | 17.3 | 0.33 | 1..67 | |||||
Obituary - Indianapolis Star (December 6, 2001)
John Townsend Sr. had been attorney, former professional basketball player
Services for John Frederick Townsend Sr., 85, Indianapolis, a retired attorney and former basketball players, will be at 3 p.m. Dec. 8 in Leppert & Hensley Mortuary, Nora Chapel, with calling from 2 p.m.
He died Dec. 4.
Mr. Townsend was an attorney 30 years with Townsend & Townsend Attorneys, retiring in 1970.
He also served as a Marion County deputy prosecutor in 1949, 1951 and 1953.
Previously, Mr. Townsend played professional basketball for the Indianapolis Kautskys, Oshkosh All Stars and Rochester Royals.
An all-state center for Tech High School, he led the school to a second place finish in the 1934 state basketball tournament. He also won the high school state shot put championship and received the Dyar Medal, the city's top athletic award.
In 1972, Butler University head coach Tony Hinkle told The Indianapolis Star that Mr. Townsend was "basketball's first stationary pivot man in the '30s." Hinkle named Mr. Townsend to his "dream team," calling him one of the 10 best high school players he had ever seen.
After high school, Mr. Townsend wen on to the University of Michigan, where he played basketball for three years and was twice named All-American. While in college, he also was ranked fifth in the nation in the discus and finished second in the shot put and discus in Big Ten competition. He graduated in 1938 and earned his law degree from the university in 1941. He also was an assistant basketball coach at the University of Michigan for two years.
He was a high school basketball official three years for he Western Conference and for four Indiana-Kentucky All-Star games. He also was a basketball commentator seven years for WFBM radio.
He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1972.
A fellow of the Indiana College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Townsend was a member of the Indiana State and American Bar associations, Bar Association of the 7th Federal Circuit, Lawyers Association of Indianapolis, Indiana Trial Lawyers of America and International Society of Barristers.
He also was a member of the Victors Club of the University of Michigan, Delta Kappa Epsilon and Phi Kappa Psi fraternities.
Mr. Townsend was an Army veteran in World War II.
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Heart Association.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Later Townsend; children John F. Jr., Marcis, Diane Townsend, Janice Montross; brother Earl Townsend Jr.; seven grandchildren; six great-grandchildren.
