Former IU All-American Jimmy Rayl passed away Sunday at age 77.
Rayl played for the Hoosiers from 1960 to 1963 and earned All-American honors and first-team All-Big Ten accolades in 1962-63. He earnes team MVP honors in 1962 and was inducted into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.
“Jimmy Rayl was one of the greatest players in the history of IU basketball and an icon in the state of Indiana,” IU Vice President and Director of Athletics Fred Glass said in a statement. “All of us with IU Athletics mourn his passing and offer deepest sympathies to his family and friends.”
Rayl scored an IU and then-Big Ten record 56 points against Minnesota in 1962 and Michigan State In 1963. Both performances rank this in league history. His 23 made field goals in 48 attempts against the Spartans are second-most in conference history.
The Kokomo native’s 1,401 career points rank 23rd on the school’s all-time scoring list. After averaging 4.0 points as a sophomore in 1960-61, Rayl went on to average 29.8 in 1961-62 and 25.3 points in 1962-63. In 68 games in an IU uniform, he shot 41.6 percent from the field and 83.5 percent from the free throw line.
“On behalf of everyone in our program, our thoughts and prayers go out to the Rayl Family,” IU head coach Archie Miller said. “His accomplishments as a basketball player from this state were profound and set an example for others to aspire to.”
A 1959 graduate of Kokomo High School, Rayl was named Mr. Basketball after his senior season where he averaged more than 29 points per game. He took home the Trester Mental Attitude Award after leading Kokomo to the state championship game.
Following his IU career, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Royals in the 3rd round in 1963. Rayl played 101 games for the Indiana Pacers in the 1967-68 and 1968-69 seasons and averaged 11.1 points per game. He averaged 12.0 points his first season and 8.9 the following year.
Rayl was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.
“Jimmy was a legend all his own,” IU Athletics Hall of Famer and former Bloomington Herald Times Sports Editor Bob Hammel said. “He had a signature jump shot, very high-arced landing in the net with a soft puff. I didn't see either of his 56-point games at IU but I did see him win a 92-90 high school semistate game against Fort Wayne South and his future IU teammate Tom Bolyard with a 35-foot buzzer shot, classic Jimmy, high and puff.”
