John Tidwell

John W. Tidwell is an American former basketball player. He played for the University of Michigan from 1958 to 1961 and broke the school's records for points scored (43) in a single game and single season. He later became an obstetrician-gynecologist in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Biography

Early years Tidwell grew up in Herrin in southern Illinois. He played basketball for Herrin High School from 1955 to 1957, leading the school to a 28–3 record as a junior and 31–2 as a senior. In 1957, the 6 feet, 4 inch Tidwell was the tallest player and the high scorer for the Herrin High School team that won the Illinois state basketball championship.

Michigan Tidwell was one of the most highly rated high school basketball players in the Midwest in 1957. He reportedly received scholarships from 70 colleges, including the University of Illinois and University of Michigan. Michigan's head coach Bill Perigo did not travel to Herrin to recruit Tidwell, but Tidwell chose Michigan because of its good engineering school. He followed with 24 points in his second collegiate game against the University of Tennessee and another 24 points the following week against Butler. After his first seven games, sports writer Jerry Green called Tidwell "the most exciting cager to arrive at Michigan in years." Michigan's coach Perigo noted, "He's so smooth and steady out there you don't notice him until he comes out." Tidwell's 41 points also broke the Yost Field House record which had been set by Indiana's Don Schlundt with 29 points in 1953.

As the senior captain of the 1960–1961 Michigan basketball team, Tidwell suffered a mid-season slump in February 1961, but still finished the season with 441 points and an average 19.2 points per game. Two days later, on March 6, 1961, Tidwell scored 24 points against Illinois in his final home game for Michigan. When he left the game, he was given a three-minute standing ovation by the spectators at Yost Field House. At the end of the season, he was selected by his teammates as the team's most valuable player for the second consecutive year. At the conclusion of his Michigan basketball career, head coach Dave Strack called Tidwell "one of the finest collegiate basketball players in the nation." but he chose instead to attend medical school.

Medical career After graduating from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1965, Tidwell spent a year as an intern at the University of Maryland Hospital and four years as a resident at the University of Michigan. After two years in the U.S. Army, he moved to Charlotte, North Carolina where he began practicing as on obstetrician-gynecologist. Tidwell is the founder and managing partner of the Mintview Charlotte Women's Specialists medical group in Charlotte.

Tidwell was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1996.