Tom Marshall

John Thomas Marshall was an American basketball player and coach. He graduated from Mount Juliet High School in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee. He was a star at Western Kentucky University in the 1950s, where he was a two-time All-American. His number 41 is one of only six retired at Western Kentucky. He was named to the OVC Half-Century Team and the OVC 40th Anniversary team. A 6'4" forward, he was drafted by the Rochester Royals with the seventh pick of the 1954 NBA draft. After a promising rookie season, he was drafted into the Army and missed the 1955–56 season. In a four-year NBA career, he played for the Royals, as well as for the Detroit Pistons. In his final year as a player (1958–59) he served as a player-coach; then coached the Cincinnati Royals for one additional season (1959–60) after retiring from playing. Marshall died in Fort Myers, Florida, on May 10, 2024, at the age of 93.