The story of small college men’s basketball cannot be told without Wittenberg. In recognition of that fact, the university’s national championship teams of 1961 and 1977 were among the players and teams honored during the inaugural induction ceremony of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame & Museum on May 20.

More than 1,000 people attended the induction ceremony at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, including Don Henderson ’54, a member of the organization’s seven-person executive board, and former Wittenberg Director of Public Relations Don Perkins ’89H, a member of the board of directors.
Five of the six Wittenberg coaches since 1956 – Ray Mears, Eldon Miller ’61, Bob Hamilton ’63, Larry Hunter and Bill Brown ’73 – were on hand. 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, 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.

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 in 1956, but he quickly turned Wittenberg into a national powerhouse that won three straight OAC titles and the 1961 college division title.

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 the ceremony included members of the 1961 and 1977 teams: George Jackson ’78, Kurt Keener ’78, Duane Ewing ’78, Bill Fisher ’64, Roger Rogos ’62, and Don Hillerich ’61. Steve Moore ’74, Larry Baker ’71, Jim Osborne ’67 and Matt Croci ’94, along with Springfield resident and longtime Wittenberg fan Larry McFarland and Wittenberg President Mark Erickson and his son, David, also attended.

Brown, whose 2006 team came tantalizingly close to adding another national championship to the university’s trophy cases before losing in the national championship game 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.”

– Ryan Maurer