Murray Neal Wier (December 12, 1926 – April 6, 2016), nicknamed "Rampaging Redhead" and "Wizard Wier," was an American professional basketball player for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now the present-day Atlanta Hawks) and the Waterloo Hawks. He is better known for his standout college career at the University of Iowa, however, when in 1947–48 he was named a consensus first team All-American and was also the inaugural National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Major College scoring leader at 21.0 points per game. Early life Wier was born in Grandview, Iowa. He attended Grandview High School from his freshman through junior years before moving to Muscatine, Iowa. He then spent his senior year in 1943–44 at Muscatine High School, from which he graduated. He led Muscatine High School to a district championship with a 50–37 win over their archrival, Davenport High School, and was named a first team all-state selection by the Des Moines Register and Iowa Daily Press Association. After his breakout senior season, University of Iowa head men's basketball coach Pops Harrison offered him a full scholarship to play for the Hawkeyes. Career College Harrison made Wier a four-year starter at Iowa. In his freshman season of 1944–45, the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Conference season championship. Wier was a , 155 lb (70 kg) guard but played more of a hybrid position, utilizing his dribbling and shooting guard abilities while technically lining up as a forward. The Hawkeyes were fairly successful over the rest of Wier's career and eventually finished second to the Michigan Wolverines for the conference championship during his senior season in 1947–48. Wier led the Hawkeyes in scoring in both his junior and senior years at 15.1 and 21.0 points per game (ppg), respectively. Like he did in high school, he had a breakout senior year. His 21.0 ppg led the NCAA in scoring en route to Wier becoming the first officially recognized Major College division scoring leader. In the process, he set a then-Big Ten record of 272 points in conference play, was a first team all-conference selection and was also dubbed the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player. He capped his career off by being named a consensus first team All-American. Professional Wier was drafted 48th overall in the 1948 Basketball Association of America Draft by the Fort Wayne Pistons. Although he was drafted by the Pistons, he did not play for them. He began his