Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1986
- Class:
- 1957
A package recruiting deal for Cam Henderson out of South Charleston High School, Paul Underwood and Cebe Price were known as the “Gold Dust Twins.” A baseball standout as well as a West Virginia All-State basketball player, Underwood played both sports for his three seasons as a member of the Marshall varsity, winning All-Mid-American Conference honors in both sports in the winter and spring of 1956. After playing a season for the freshman team, Underwood and Price made an immediate impact as sophomores, helping Henderson’s final Marshall team to an 18-4 record, with Underwood receiving second team All-MAC honors. The next season, under rookie Coach Jule Rivlin, Underwood averaged 20.2 points per game as Marshall won its only MAC basketball title, going 18-5 overall, 10-2 in league play, and received Marshall’s first NCAA Tournament berth, where Underwood scored 18 points in a first-round loss at Morehead State. That year, Underwood was again a second team All-MAC honoree and also received honorable mention All-America accolades, then in the spring was named second team All-MAC in baseball as he logged a 1.02 ERA as a Herd pitcher.
When his Marshall career was complete, Underwood -- who was known for his two-handed set shot -- had scored 1,198 points, an average of 17.9 points per game over his three seasons. He passed up an offer to play for the NBA’s Rochester Royals to instead sign a baseball contract with the Cincinnati Reds organization, for which he pitched three seasons in the minor leagues. Underwood was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.
