Duke Great Hack Tison: 1942-2026

LOUISVILLE, KY - MARCH 22: Hack Tison #31 of the Duke Blue Devils drives to the basket against the Loyola Ramblers during the semifinal game of the NCAA Men"u2019s Basketball Tournament held at Freedom Hall on March 22, 1963 in Louisville, Kentucky. Loyola defeated Duke 94-75 to advance to the finals. (Rich Clarkson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images H askell “Hack” Tison, a mainstay of Duke’s first Final Four teams in 1963 and 1964, has passed away.

A war baby, Tison was born on November 16, 1942, and came to Durham early in the Vic Bubas era. He was a freshman in 1962-63, but the rules of that day would not allow him to compete on the varsity until he was a sophomore. Duke went with an unusually large team for that era, starting Tison and Jay Buckley, both 6-10.

It worked great until the Blue Devils ran into UCLA in the NCAA championship game, and the much smaller Bruins pressed Duke relentessly, winning with relative ease, 98-83. Tison and Duke would get back to the Final Four the next year, but in 1965, NC State won the ACC tournament and got the sole conference bid. This was when State legend and recently retired coach Everett Case was dying from cancer, and the Wolfpack, understandably, wanted to send him out with a championship.

Tison was then taken in the 6th round by the Boston Celtics. However, he said he was tired of the travel, and ended his playing career. A couple of points here.