Evansville Player Killed in Newton Crash

College basketball player, David Furr’s life was saved by an ankle injury—but the reprieve from death was a brief one.

Newton, Ill – (UPI) – A freshman basketball player at the University of Evansville from Olney, who had been sidelined with an ankle injury was killed Tuesday night together with a younger brother in a car-pickup truck collision. Police identified the victims as David Furr, 18 and Byron Furr, 16.

David, a leading scorer last year on the Olney basketball team, and his brother were returning home from the Charleston Invitational Basketball Tournament, where Olney had defeated Pana Tuesday afternoon, friends said.

Authorities said the car in which the youths were riding was southbound on Ill 130, 2 miles north of Newton, when about 6:30 p.m.,Furr’s car skidded on a patch of ice, lost control and collided with a northbound pickup truck driven by Leroy Wakefield, 55 of Newton.

The Furr brothers were killed instantly, police said and Wakefield was taken to Richland Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.

David Furr suffered a severe ankle injury in practice at the University of Evansville and was sitting out this season. He was the team statistician at home games and missed the fateful December 13 flight in which a DC-3, carrying 14 members of the University of Evansville Purple Aces and Coach, Bobby Watson crashed shortly after takeoff from Dress Regional Airport at Evansville, Indiana, that took 29 lives.

Freeport Journal-Standard (Freeport, IL) – Wednesday, December 28, 1977 & Dayton Daily News (Dayton, OH) – Thursday, December 29, 1977

David Lee Furr, 18 and Byron D. Furr, 16, brothers and both of Olney were killed in a highway collision northeast of Newton on December 27, 1977.  Authorities said the car in which the youths were riding was southbound on Illinois 130 about two miles north of Newton when it was involved in a right angle collision with a pickup truck driven by Leroy Wakefield, 55, Newton.

The accident occurred while the brothers were returning to Olney after attending the Charleston Holiday basketball tournament where Olney had defeated Pana. Both of the victims were thrown from the car and were pronounced dead at the scene.

David Furr was born October 18, 1959 in Indianapolis, Ind.  He was the son of Dr. Jack D. Furr and Elizabeth Ann Knox.  He was a freshman at the University of Evansville and was pledged to Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity. He was a member of the Methodist Temple at Evansville, Ind. and was a resident of Hughes Hall at the university.

David was a basketball standout at Harrison High School in Evansville for three years and one of the city's leading scorers. He played his senior year at East Richland High School where he was an All-North Egypt Conference first team selection after helping the Tigers win the conference championship one year ago, and also the championship of the Benton Invitational Tournament and runner-up finish in the IHSA Class AA Sectional. He was an All-Southern Illinois selection and also played on the Tigers baseball team. David was a member of the National Honor Society.

Surviving David and Byron are stepfather and mother, Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence J. Knox of Olney; stepsister, Mrs. Mary Ann Swisher of Cambria, Ill.; stepbrothers, Bob Knox of South Bend, Steve and Tim Knox, both of Carbondale and Alex Knox of Olney; grandmother, Mrs. Mary Keneipp of Owensville, Ind. and stepgreat-grandmother, Mrs. Rhoda Fitzsimmons of Evansville.

Services at Owensville United Methodist Church in Owensville, with burial in Bethel Cemetery.

Published in Olney Daily Mail (IL)