ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Knight praises his former coaches, state of Ohio at Hall induction </MCC HEAD>
<MCC BYLINE1>BY JEFF WALKER </MCC BYLINE1>
<MCC BYLINE2>AVALANCHE-JOURNAL </MCC BYLINE2>
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Teams and individuals were welcomed Saturday into the first class of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
Texas Tech men's basketball coach Bob Knight, the keynote speaker at the banquet, was honored twice at a ceremony held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Knight was recognized for being a part of the 1960 Ohio State team that won a national championship and also reached the title game the next two seasons.
Knight also was inducted because he is a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, joined in this group by his former head coach and mentor, Fred Taylor, who coached at Ohio State for 18 years from 1959-76. Harold Anderson, head coach at Bowling Green from 1942-63 that included six trips to the National Invitation Tournament and three NCAA Tournament appearances, also was inducted with the inaugural class.
"I have very strong feelings about the state of Ohio and the opportunities I was given there," Knight said. "Just the opportunity to start playing baseball when I was nine, and then I also was fortunate to play college basketball (in Ohio)."
Knight, a native of Orrville, Ohio, is entering his 41st season of coaching, his sixth at Tech.
"When honors are given to coaches, it's a reflection of what players have done," Knight said. "Nobody has been more fortunate in regard to quality of players, nor has anyone been more blessed with the kind of background I had to be on the (Ohio State) team that I was on, as well as the coaches I learned from."
The team induction was accepted by former coach Frank Truitt, who praised Knight during his acceptance speech.
"Nobody is more loyal to their coaches than Bob Knight," Truitt said. "... I have a lifetime membership (to the Ohio Basketball HOF) because of him. How many players would do that?"
Knight purchased three lifetime memberships to the Ohio HOF at $3,000 a piece for himself, Truitt and one in the name of Taylor.
Former Ohio State player Clark Kellogg, now a college basketball analyst for CBS, was among those inducted in the college players category.
The inductions were separated into different classes for the high school, college and national levels.
Kellogg was one of five players inducted for their college career achievements.
"As I thought about this night and what it means to me, one word continued to resinate - grateful," Kellogg said. "... I am thankful for a life that hasn't been perfect but blessed in a lot of ways."
Newt Oliver, coach of Rio Grande College, told the audience that the story rights for a movie about his team has been purchased by Walt Disney. The 1952-53 team finished 39-0, which still stands as the most wins in a season by a college team. Bevo Francis, also inducted in the inaugural class, averaged 50.1 points per game during the undefeated season. He scored 116 points in a game against Ashland Junior College (Ky.)
"We only had 38 boys in the whole college," Oliver said. "We beat Wake Forest, a major university that played in a major conference. ... That (season) was something that will never ever happen again."
Other notable inductees included: Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek and Nate Thurmond as national Hall of Fame members; former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Wayne Embry as a contributor in the national Hall of Fame and Jimmy Jackson, a former college national player of the year. "I don't know why I played basketball," Robertson said. "I played in the light of the moon, in the snow and the rain, I just loved to play. ... There's a lot of money in the game of basketball today, but I wouldn't trade anything for the time I played."
http://www.redraiders.com/stories/052106/mbb_052106035.shtml
<MCC BYLINE1>BY JEFF WALKER </MCC BYLINE1>
<MCC BYLINE2>AVALANCHE-JOURNAL </MCC BYLINE2>
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Teams and individuals were welcomed Saturday into the first class of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame.
Texas Tech men's basketball coach Bob Knight, the keynote speaker at the banquet, was honored twice at a ceremony held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Knight was recognized for being a part of the 1960 Ohio State team that won a national championship and also reached the title game the next two seasons.
Knight also was inducted because he is a member of the National Basketball Hall of Fame, joined in this group by his former head coach and mentor, Fred Taylor, who coached at Ohio State for 18 years from 1959-76. Harold Anderson, head coach at Bowling Green from 1942-63 that included six trips to the National Invitation Tournament and three NCAA Tournament appearances, also was inducted with the inaugural class.
"I have very strong feelings about the state of Ohio and the opportunities I was given there," Knight said. "Just the opportunity to start playing baseball when I was nine, and then I also was fortunate to play college basketball (in Ohio)."
Knight, a native of Orrville, Ohio, is entering his 41st season of coaching, his sixth at Tech.
"When honors are given to coaches, it's a reflection of what players have done," Knight said. "Nobody has been more fortunate in regard to quality of players, nor has anyone been more blessed with the kind of background I had to be on the (Ohio State) team that I was on, as well as the coaches I learned from."
The team induction was accepted by former coach Frank Truitt, who praised Knight during his acceptance speech.
"Nobody is more loyal to their coaches than Bob Knight," Truitt said. "... I have a lifetime membership (to the Ohio Basketball HOF) because of him. How many players would do that?"
Knight purchased three lifetime memberships to the Ohio HOF at $3,000 a piece for himself, Truitt and one in the name of Taylor.
Former Ohio State player Clark Kellogg, now a college basketball analyst for CBS, was among those inducted in the college players category.
The inductions were separated into different classes for the high school, college and national levels.
Kellogg was one of five players inducted for their college career achievements.
"As I thought about this night and what it means to me, one word continued to resinate - grateful," Kellogg said. "... I am thankful for a life that hasn't been perfect but blessed in a lot of ways."
Newt Oliver, coach of Rio Grande College, told the audience that the story rights for a movie about his team has been purchased by Walt Disney. The 1952-53 team finished 39-0, which still stands as the most wins in a season by a college team. Bevo Francis, also inducted in the inaugural class, averaged 50.1 points per game during the undefeated season. He scored 116 points in a game against Ashland Junior College (Ky.)
"We only had 38 boys in the whole college," Oliver said. "We beat Wake Forest, a major university that played in a major conference. ... That (season) was something that will never ever happen again."
Other notable inductees included: Jerry Lucas, Oscar Robertson, John Havlicek and Nate Thurmond as national Hall of Fame members; former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Wayne Embry as a contributor in the national Hall of Fame and Jimmy Jackson, a former college national player of the year. "I don't know why I played basketball," Robertson said. "I played in the light of the moon, in the snow and the rain, I just loved to play. ... There's a lot of money in the game of basketball today, but I wouldn't trade anything for the time I played."
http://www.redraiders.com/stories/052106/mbb_052106035.shtml