Hall of Fame
Mike Rivers, who passed away in 1993, was a two-time All-TAAC honoree at Little Rock from 1980-84 and is ranked in the top-10 in five of Little Rock's all-time career lists. A native of Selma, Alabama, Rivers scored 1,304 points during his career and is currently second all-time at Little Rock in both career field goal percentage (.595) and career free throws made (378).
Rivers joined the Trojans from Southside High School in Selma, Ala., where he earned All-State and All-District honors as a senior after averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds a game. Playing alongside his twin brother, Ezelle (who was born eight minutes before Mike), the duo led Southside to a district title in 1979-80.
Mike Rivers was a two-time honoree by the Trans America Athletic Conference, earning Second Team All-TAAC accolades as a junior (1982-83) and honorable mention All-TAAC honors following his senior season (1983-84). Rivers helped the Trojans to back-to-back regular season TAAC titles in 1981-82 and 1982-83, as Little Rock compiled a 42-14 record during that span. His play at the 1983 TAAC Championships earned him a spot on the All-Tournament Team.
As a junior, Rivers averaged 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game off an astounding .645 field goal percentage. His junior season featured the best game of his collegiate career, as he put together a 41-point, 13-rebound double-double to lead Little Rock to an 89-77 win over Centenary on Jan. 20, 1983. At the time, Rivers' career-high 41-point performance was a school record at the Division-I level. To this day, he remains one of only four players to top 40 points in a Trojan uniform.
Rivers followed up his strong junior year by averaging a team-high 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a senior ? both of which were personal bests. When his collegiate career ended, Rivers was ranked sixth in TAAC history for career points (1,304), fifth in made free throws (378) and second in field goal percentage (.595).
Today, Rivers is 38th on the Atlantic Sun's (formerly the TAAC) all-time list for career points, sixth in career field goal percentage and 10th in made free throws.
In Little Rock's record books, Rivers sits sixth in career points, seventh in made field goals (463), second in both field goal percentage and made free throws, and eighth in blocks (58). He also holds three of the top-10 single-season performances for field goal percentage, and is tied for third with 143 made free throws during his senior year.
After graduating from Little Rock with a degree in sports management, Rivers began playing professional basketball overseas. He eventually returned to Little Rock and was working for a waste management company when he died in an accident on the job in 1993. He is survived by his wife, Debbie, whom he married on Aug. 8, 1982, and their five children: Mizelle, Jr., Nicholas, Neidra, Meghan and Krista.
