Truitt Weldon (2009) - N-Club Hall of Fame - Northwestern State University Athletics

N-Club Hall of Fame

Truitt Weldon

Class
Induction

2009
Sport(s)

Basketball - Men's

At the time of his death in May 1971 at the age of 31, Weldon was co-owner of a successful automobile dealership in Montgomery.

At Northwestern, Weldon was chosen for All-Gulf States Conference teams in 1961 and 1962. He ranks fourth all-time in school history in career rebounding with 928 in 103 games, a 9.0 average topped only by James Wyatt (1,549), Billy Reynolds (1,150) and Frederick Piper (941). They are the only four players with 900 career rebounds.

Weldon also ranks 17th on the Demons' career scoring list with 1,289 points, a 12.5 average. He led Northwestern in rebounding (299, 11.1 per game) and in free throw percentage (69.0) as a senior in 1961-62.

As a sophomore, Weldon helped the 1959-60 Demons tie what was at the time the school record for wins in a season as Northwestern went 23-5 and claimed a second straight GSC championship.

A former All-State player at Mt. Carmel High School in Sabine Parish, Weldon was highly recruited, especially after he reportedly scored 105 points in a single game as a senior. State high school records do show a documented 82-point performance by Weldon that stood as the state record for more than a decade, but the officially documented state record is 100 points by Ebarb’s Greg Procell in 1968

During much of his high school career, Weldon’s family belonged to a strict religious denomination which forced him to play many games in blue jeans. Asked how he handled some teasing opponents, Weldon would reportedly only say, “Well, I’d just smile and then try to beat the fire out of them.”

On hand for the induction ceremony and receiving the late Weldon’s Graduate N Club Hall of Fame medallion will be his son, Norman Gene Weldon of Salt Lake City. Weldon’s son was named after the former long-time “Voice of the Demons” Norm Fletcher, who helped recruit Weldon for the purple and white, and the late Weldon’s basketball roommate, Gene Wright.