SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — The story of small college men's basketball cannot be told without Wittenberg University. In recognition of that fact, the university's national championship teams of 1961 and 1977 were among a large group of individual players and teams honored during the inaugural induction ceremony of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum on Saturday, May 20.
The induction ceremony, dubbed "Ohio Hoop Zone Hoopla," attracted more than 1,000 basketball fans to the Greater Columbus Convention Center for an event that commemorated some of the best basketball players, coaches, contributors and teams in Ohio's rich hardwood history. Bobby Knight, a native of Orrville, a member of Ohio State's 1960 national championship team and one of the most successful college basketball coaches ever, was the guest speaker at the event.
Wittenberg was well represented at the event. Don Henderson, Wittenberg class of 1954, is part of the seven-person executive board for the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum, which does not yet have an official physical location. Former Wittenberg Director of Public Relations Don Perkins is a member of the organization's board of directors.
Five of the six Wittenberg coaches since 1956 – Ray Mears, Eldon Miller, Bob Hamilton, Larry Hunter and Bill Brown – were on hand for the event. Hunter, who coached the 1977 squad, accepted the awards for both Wittenberg teams honored during the event.
Following a 1975-76 season under Hamilton that included an Ohio Athletic Conference regular season championship and an overtime loss in the national title game to Scranton, the Tigers welcomed Hunter to the head coaching post and took the next step. Wittenberg captured another OAC regular season title and then rebounded from an OAC Tournament finals loss to capture the 1977 national title with a convincing 79-66 victory over Oneonta State.
The stage was set for such success by Mears, who had a 121-23 record in six seasons at Wittenberg. He took over a struggling program coming off back-to-back losing seasons prior to the 1956-57 season, but he quickly turned Wittenberg into a national powerhouse that won three straight OAC titles and the 1961 college division title against Southeast Missouri.
Mears was the first of five consecutive Wittenberg men's basketball coaches to leave the NCAA Division III program for NCAA Division I jobs.
Since Mears' arrival in Springfield in 1956, Wittenberg has had just one non-winning season in 51 years while averaging a staggering 22 wins per season. The Tigers hold NCAA Division III records for total wins and winning percentage, national tournament wins and national semifinal appearances.
The university contingent present for Saturday's ceremony included an assortment of other members of the 1961 and 1977 teams, including George Jackson, class of 1978, Kurt Keener, class of 1978, Duane Ewing, class of 1978, Steve Moore, class of 1974, Bill Fisher, class of 1964, Roger Rogos, class of 1962, and Don Hillerich, class of 1961. Larry Baker, class of 1971, Jim Osborne, class of 1967, Matt Croci, class of 1994, and Springfield resident and longtime Wittenberg fan Larry McFarland were also present.
In addition, Wittenberg President Mark Erickson and his son, David, made the trip.
Brown, whose 2006 team came tantalizingly close to adding another national championship to the university's trophy cases before losing 59-56 to Virginia Wesleyan on March 18, was awed by the experience.
"When I look back and think that I was at the inaugural event for the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum, I think I will continue to recognize more and more how special an event it was," said Brown, who is tied with Hunter with a school-record 305 coaching wins. "I was so proud to sit there as a Wittenberg graduate and see two of our teams go into the hall."
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