Springfield, Ohio – The ranks of Wittenberg University greats in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame continues to grow with the selection of Bert Price, class of 1961, for induction in May 2015.
Price joins Brian Agler, class of 1980, Don Henderson, class of 1954, Frank Shannon, class of 1940, Eldon Miller, class of 1962, Al Thrasher, class of 1964, Pam Evans Smith, class of 1982, and Ray Mears, who coached the Tigers from 1956-62, in the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition, the 1961 Wittenberg men’s basketball team, which captured the university’s first national championship in any sport, and the 1977 national championship men’s basketball team were both inducted in 2006 as part of the inaugural Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum induction class.
The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame will induct its class of 2015 on Saturday, May 2, at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. Wittenberg is planning a campus tribute to Price and all of its alumni who have been inducted previously at halftime of a game against Oberlin scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 7, in Pam Evans Smith Arena.
After transferring to Wittenberg from Kent State University, Price emerged late in his first season for the Tigers, scoring 18 points in the 1959 OAC Tournament championship game against Akron to secure the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berth. He added OAC Player of the Year honors while leading the Tigers to the league title again in 1960.
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Price topped himself as a senior and made history in the process. He led the Tigers in scoring and rebounding en route to his second straight first-team All-OAC award and first-team All-America honors. More importantly, Wittenberg won the 1961 national championship with a five-game run that include wins over Youngstown State, Wabash, Williams, Mount St. Mary’s and Southeast Missouri.
The Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame was formed in 2006 to recognize the achievements of both male and female basketball players, coaches, officials and teams in high school, college and professional basketball. For more information, log on to http://www.ohiohoopzone.com.
Written By: Ryan Maurer