Salem University Athletics

Born August 10, 1953, Archie Talley became the greatest basketball player in the history of Salem College, and one of the all-time greatest players in the history of the NAIA.

During his days at Salem, Talley played in front of capacity crowds both home and away and brought fame and national recognition to himself and to Salem throughout his illustrious career which spanned from 1973-76.

In the era before the three-point shot, he finished his Tiger career as the all-time leading scorer in Salem College history as well as the entire West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) with 3,720 points, including a remarkable 32.9 points per game. Both records remained until the WVIAC disbanded in 2013.

In 1976, Talley established a school and WVIAC record with 40.8 points per game to lead the entire nation in scoring (577 FG and 193 FT in 33 games). His 1,347 total points scored remain an NAIA single-season scoring record today. That season, he was selected as the Associated Press (AP) College Division Basketball Player of the Year, and a first-team All-America selection by the AP, NAIA and Basketball Weekly.

Talley was invited to play on the United States International team in Tel Aviv, Israel in 1975 and was chosen the Most Valuable Player in that series of games. He also played on the United States team in the Cup of Nations Games in 1974 in Colombia, South America.

Following graduation, he was drafted by the New York Knicks in 1976 (147th Overall) and played briefly for the New Jersey Nets, before deciding to play in the European Professional Basketball League in the summer of 1976 where he continued to be a scoring phenomenon.

His ball handling and shooting abilities have been unmatched among college basketball players in West Virginia, and his skills have been passed on to many youngsters he has taught at summer camps and clinics.    

Since 1984 Talley has been a motivational speaker, giving talks to children and young people and for professional and corporate events.