In basketball, a free throw is "an opportunity given to a player to score one (1) point, uncontested, from position behind the free throw line and inside the semicircle." [1] The National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I is the highest level of amateur basketball in the United States. The NCAA did not split into its current divisions format until August 1973. [2] From 1906 to 1955, there were no classifications to the NCAA nor its predecessor, the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS). [2] Then, from 1956 to spring 1973, colleges were classified as either "NCAA University Division (Major College)" or "NCAA College Division (Small College)". [2]
The all-time leader in NCAA free throws made is Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina. [3] [4] From 2005–06 through 2008–09, Hansbrough made 982 free throws, surpassing the 54-year-old record of 905 that was held by Wake Forest's Dickie Hemric. [3] [5] While Hansbrough's free throw percentage (79.1%) is better than Hemric's (66.6%), Hemric accomplished the feat in only 104 career games played compared to Hansbrough's 142.
Five players on this list are Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees: Pete Maravich, [6] Oscar Robertson, [7] Bill Bradley [8] Joe Dumars, [9] and Alonzo Mourning. [10] Some players on this list, such as those whose career games played is below 100, played college basketball during the era before freshmen were allowed to play varsity basketball, and were instead allowed to play freshman or junior varsity basketball only. Their free throw makes and attempts could have been significantly higher had they played an additional season.
George Washington University is the only school that has multiple members on the top 25 all-time free throws made list: Chris Monroe (719) [11] and Joe Holup (714). [12] Only one player in the top 25 split his college career between two different schools. Steve Rogers, who scored 713 free throws between 1988 and 1992, attended Middle Tennessee before transferring to Alabama State.
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All teams are listed under their current athletic brand names, which do not always match those in use when a listed player was active.
Peter Press Maravich, known by his nickname Pistol Pete, was an American professional basketball player.
Christian Donald Laettner is an American former professional basketball player. His college career for the Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the best in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) history. He was the star player on the back-to-back Duke National Championship teams of 1991 and 1992, and the NCAA player of the year in his senior year. He is particularly famous for his game-winning shot against Kentucky in the 1992 tournament and for the hatred he received from opposing fans.
Andrew Tyler Hansbrough is an American professional basketball player who last played for Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. He has played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven seasons, as well as internationally.
Herb Magee, commonly referred to as the Shot Doctor, is an American former men's college basketball coach, who coached for 54 seasons at NCAA Division II Thomas Jefferson University. The school was established in its current form when Philadelphia University, Magee's alma mater, merged with the original Thomas Jefferson University in 2017. The former Philadelphia University was known as Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science and athletically branded as "Philadelphia Textile" when Magee first became head coach in 1967, becoming Philadelphia University in 1999. He has spent 54 years as head coach, and 62 years as either a player or coach at the school as of 2021. In 2015, he achieved his 1,000th win as a head coach, becoming one of only four college coaches to achieve that milestone. On August 12, 2011, Magee was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
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The Cheryl Miller Award is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball small forward in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller. While at Riverside (CA) Polytechnic High School, Miller set a single game scoring record of 105 points in a game in 1982. She was a four-time All-America, a three-time Naismith Player of the Year and a Wade Trophy winner while accumulating 3,018 career points at USC from 1982 to 1986. Miller is a 1984 Olympic gold medalist and was named the best college basketball player, both male and female, in 1986 by Sports Illustrated.
The Lisa Leslie Award is an award presented annually to the best women's basketball center in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I competition. It is named after Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie, an eight-time All Star and two-time champion of the WNBA in her 12 years career with the LA Sparks. In 2002, Leslie became the first player to dunk in a WNBA game, en route to a second championship for the Sparks. Leslie retired as the WNBA all-time leading scorer & rebounder and is a four-time Olympic gold medalist.