Wittenberg University Basketball has been a part of my life for over 50 years. Having grown up in the same school district as Albert and Jim Thrasher, two of the all-time great players in Tiger history, I vividly remember listening to games on WIZE-AM radio as early as the third grade. To then be recruited by Eldon Miller, to have played and coached for Bob Hamilton, to have worked summer basketball camps for Larry Hunter, to have inherited such good players from Dan Hipsher, and to now have had the privilege of coaching here for the past nineteen years, it is quite clear to me as to the quality of experience and impact on our lives it has provided so many of us.
The Wittenberg Basketball experience shaped me and defined my path in ways that I never imagined possible. No doubt your own Tiger basketball experience changed your life as well. We learned to value hard work, to put team above self, to play with intense determination and to compete with great pride. We grew both as a player and as a person. We left here with confidence, and we continue to make a difference in our professions and our communities. And if that wasn’t enough, we developed lifelong friendships with some of the very best people we could ever imagine!
Although I already realized the immense pride that so many people hold for the great tradition of Wittenberg Basketball, it was still a humbling experience when a Board of Trustee member approached me with the idea for creating the first-ever Men’s Basketball Endowment. I am deeply appreciative of the efforts, generosity and support already shown by a few persons that has provided us a solid start to this worthy initiative.
Now I ask each of you to learn more about the endowment and consider making one-time gifts, deferred gifts or annual pledges to the fund. Your financial support will provide the resources the program needs to continue to provide a first-class experience to student-athletes---both on and off the court. In addition, a long-range goal of the endowment is to insure that the full-time assistant coaching position will always be maintained. This is a key component for the program to continue to excel at the level we have all come to expect.
Thank you in advance for your generosity, and please be certain to contact me at wbrown@wittenberg.edu if you have any questions about this exciting opportunity to support the Wittenberg Men’s Basketball program for years to come.
Tiger Up,
Bill Brown
Former Head Men’s Basketball Coach
Wittenberg, Class of ‘73
Back to the Endowment Homepage
