Andrew Toney
A cold-blooded clutch shooter for the 76ers whose explosive scoring prowess struck fear into the Celtics and defined an era of NBA rivalry.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American basketball player·Birthday: November 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
In the early 1980s, when the NBA's fiercest battle was between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics, Andrew Toney was the secret weapon. Drafted in 1980, the guard from Southwestern Louisiana didn't just score; he delivered in the moments that mattered most. With a smooth, relentless offensive game, he earned the nickname 'The Boston Strangler' for his repeated demolition of the Celtics in high-stakes games. Teammates Julius Erving and Moses Malone provided the star power, but Toney's ability to create his own shot and take over fourth quarters was the engine of the 76ers' 1983 championship run. His career was tragically cut short by chronic foot injuries, leaving behind a compact eight-year legacy of what-ifs. Opponents like Larry Bird, however, never forgot, placing Toney's offensive talent in the highest echelon and cementing his status as a phantom of what might have been.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Andrew was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Andrew Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Andrew's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won an NBA championship with the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 as a key starting guard.
- Selected as an NBA All-Star in 1983 and 1984, recognized as one of the league's premier guards.
- His performances against the Boston Celtics were so dominant they earned him the nickname 'The Boston Strangler.'
Did You Know?
He scored a career-high 46 points in a 1982 game against the Boston Celtics.
Toney's son, Channing Toney, played college basketball at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Despite his short career, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1981.
“When the game is on the line, you want the ball in your hands.”
