Eddie Miles, '68 Accounting

Eddie Miles is a Seattle University basketball legend and the recipient of the SU 2020 Professional Achievement Award. Known as “The Man with the Golden Arm” for his shooting prowess, he was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first-round of the 1963 National Basketball Association draft. His successful NBA career included time with the Baltimore Bullets and the New York Knicks.

In 2011, Miles was inducted into the Seattle University Athletics Hall of Fame, alongside Seattle U basketball greats Elgin Baylor and Eddie and Johnny O’Brien.

After graduating from high school in North Little Rock, AR, he was recruited by 50 colleges. An Elgin Baylor fan since childhood, he chose Seattle University to follow in the footsteps of his idol. Miles was the university’s leading scorer for three consecutive seasons, each of which his team qualified for the NCAA basketball tournament. As a senior, he contributed 697 points and ranked seventh in the nation for scoring.

That’s when the Detroit Pistons came calling. The highlight of nine seasons in the pros was his selection to the 1966 NBA All-Star game, where Miles led his West team in scoring. His time in the NBA was cut short when a ruptured Achilles tendon ended his career in 1972.

Miles then went into the private sector where he utilized his accounting degree. In 1978 college hoops reentered his life briefly when he returned to Seattle University for a yearlong stint as varsity assistant for men’s basketball. Miles gives generously of his time, building future stars by working with students as a private basketball trainer through his organization, Drills and Skills, and as a math tutor.