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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Athlete Danny Heater, born in Braxton County, on February 27, 1942, holds the national record for most points scored in a high school basketball game. He was a resident of Burnsville, and attended Burnsville High School. The Burnsville coach wanted to attract the attention of college scouts to Heater, the son of an unemployed coal miner, so for one game he arranged for the other players to get the ball to Heater as much as possible. In a game against Widen on January 26, 1960, Heater scored 135 points. Heater went on to receive an academic scholarship to attend the University of Richmond, where unfortunately he was never a starting player. Nevertheless, his record has stood for decades, and his feat is still a focus of community pride in the town of Burnsville. Heater lives in Martinsburg.
Written by Alan J. DeYoung