THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 28, 1996 TAG: 9604260164
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 34 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BILL LEFFLER, CURRENTS SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
NOT MANY HIGH school athletes have been recruited by two college coaches and then had the opportunity to play for both of them.
And it worked out wonderfully for Jeff Fuhrmann.
Last week Fuhrmann was inducted into the Old Dominion University Athletic Hall of Fame for his basketball performances with the Monarchs in the 1970s.
Fuhrmann, now a basketball coach himself at Portsmouth Christian, was among five former ODU greats inducted into the Hall of Fame on Tuesday night at the Waterside Marriott honors banquet. Also inducted were Jackie Grady (field hockey and lacrosse), Jon Hurst (golf), Gary Bodie (sailing) and Wayne Parks (baseball and basketball).
``Back when I was in high school at Thomas Jefferson, both (ODU coach) Sonny Allen and (Randolph-Macon's) Paul Webb were recruiting me,'' recalled Fuhrmann. ``I decided to attend Old Dominion.
``Sonny was my coach for two years and then Paul Webb replaced him for my last two years. So I had the chance to play for both of them. And both were excellent coaches.''
When Fuhrmann played for ODU, in 1973-77, the Monarchs won 89 and lost only 29 games. The school won a national championship and also made the transition from Division II to Division I.
Fuhrmann was a major contributor. His freshman year ODU was 20-7 and reached the NCAA regional finals in Division II. Jeff was the team's top scorer the following year when the Monarchs won the Division II national championship, posting a 25-6 overall record.
Fuhrmann again led the team scoring as a junior with an 18.6 average. With Webb at the helm for the first time, ODU finished 19-12.
In Jeff's senior year the Monarchs won the ECAC South championship, chalking up a 25-4 record. The season concluded with a 71-68 loss to Villanova in the National Invitation Tournament.
Fuhrmann still ranks among the school's all-time scoring leaders. He had a career total of 1,429 points in 102 games. Many regard him as possibly the finest free throw shooter ODU has ever had. He made 209 of 251 free throws over four seasons.
``Free throws are still very important to me as a coach,'' he said. ``I tell all my players each one is a free point. They need to constantly practice at the foul line.''
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound Fuhrmann says he had thoughts of playing professional basketball after graduation. ``But I wasn't quick enough for the NBA.''
Jeff also suffered a broken wrist in his senior year and missed six games.
Instead of pro basketball, he played for five years with the Athletes in Action team, based out of Canada. ``It was a wonderful experience,'' he said.
After working in real estate and a printing business for several years, he returned to this area to coach basketball at Atlantic Shores.
For the past two years he has been the girls basketball coach at Portsmouth Christian, also coaching the boys junior varsity and assisting with the boys varsity. He teaches math.
``I believe I'm really cut out to coach the girls,'' he said with a laugh. ``I'm a little laid back myself and the girls are that way. They care about winning but it's not the end of the world when they lose. There's less pressure that way.''
The 41-year-old Fuhrmann now calls Chesapeake home. He and wife Gail, a Western Branch High School graduate who also attended Old Dominion, live in the Western Branch area. They have two sons, Christopher (12) and Zack (6).
``It's starting to look to me that Christopher will be a basketball player and Zack will be a baseball player,'' said Jeff.
And if the day comes that two college coaches come recruiting one of them, Jeff says that will be just fine.
``Those things seem to have a way of working out,'' said the ODU Hall of Famer. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MARK MITCHELL
Jeff Fuhrmann, teacher and basketball coach at Portsmouth Christian,
has been inducted into the Old Dominion University Athletic Hall of
Fame. Fuhrmann played with the ODU Monarchs in the 1970s.
by CNB