West Virginia and Regional History Center
1549 University Ave.P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown, WV 26506-6069
Business Number: 304-293-3536
wvrhcref@westvirginia.libanswers.com
URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
Conditions Governing Access
No special access restriction applies.
Preferred Citation
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Rod Thorn, Basketball Player, Papers, A&M 4529, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.
Biographical / Historical
Rodney King "Rod" Thorn was born May 23, 1941 to parents Joe and Jackie. He played basketball and baseball during his high school years in Princeton, WV. He went on to play for West Virginia Unversity and was basketball All-American (1962–63). In the National Basketball Association, Thorn was a player before moving to roles including team coach, general manager, and president. He has been affiliated with a variety of teams, including the Baltimore Bullets, the New Jersey Nets, and the Chicago Bulls.
Scope and Contents
Papers of West Virginia native basketball player and coach Rod Thorn. Includes four scrapbooks, photographs, a draft newspaper illustration, and other material. Addendum of 2021-08-03 includes three photographs of Rod Thorn, one of which is autographed.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
- Basketball -- West Virginia
- Princeton (W. Va.)
- West Virginia University -- Athletics
- West Virginia University -- Basketball
Container List
Scrapbook kept by Rod Thorn's family during his childhood. Includes photographs, clippings, and correspondence regarding family members, Thorn's early participation in athletics, and contemporary athletes and sports teams.
A scrapbook kept while Thorn was in junior high and high school. Contents mainly concern Thorn's participation in athletics, including basketball and baseball. There is also material related to Thorn's family, his academic career, and contemporary athletes and sports teams.
Scrapbook of mostly clippings, kept while Thorn played for the basketball team of West Virginia University.
Scrapbook of mostly clippings, kept while Thorn was playing for the Baltimore Bullets NBA team.
Illustration of Rod Thorn drawn by cartoonist Wilard Mullin for the New York World-Telegram and Sun .
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 2
Photograph of Rod Thorn1963
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 3
Photograph of Rod Thorn1975
- Mixed Materials Box: 1 Folder: 4
Autographed Photograph of Rod Thorn2018