Editing Nate Thurmond (section)

== Early life and college ==
[[File:Thurmond BGSU.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Thurmond grabbing a rebound while at Bowling Green]]
Thurmond started at Akron's [[National Inventors Hall of Fame STEM High School|Central High School]], where he played alongside fellow future NBA star [[Gus Johnson (basketball)|Gus Johnson]].<ref name=bio>{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/history/players/thurmond_bio.html |title=Nate Thurmond Bio |work=NBA.com |access-date=March 3, 2013}}</ref> Passing up a scholarship offer from [[Ohio State University|Ohio State]] to avoid becoming a backup to [[Jerry Lucas]], a high school rival, Thurmond chose to play college basketball at [[Bowling Green State University|Bowling Green]].<ref name=musselman>{{cite web|url=http://www.toledoblade.com/BGSU/2005/03/13/Nate-the-Great-Thurmond-was-BG-s-best-and-among-elite-in-NBA.html|title=Nate the Great: Thurmond was BG's best and among elite in NBA|work=Toledo Blade|last=Musselman|first=Ron|date=March 13, 2005|access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref>

Thurmond led the [[Mid-American Conference]] in rebounds during all three of his varsity seasons (with a college career average of 17.0 rebounds per game),<ref name=musselman/> and was named a first-team All-American by ''[[The Sporting News]]'' in 1963.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mac-sports.com/hof.aspx?hof=49&path=&kiosk=|title=Nate Thurmond, Bowling Green|work=Mid-American Conference|access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref> In Thurmond's last two years with Bowling Green, he helped lead the team into the NCAA Tournament and he set a school record with 31 rebounds in his final college game.<ref name=musselman/>