College Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

(Click the title of this post to see pictures from the event)

As some of you may know, the first-ever College Basketball Hall of Fame is being built in downtown Kansas City. On Sunday night, I was fortunate enough to attend a reception and the inagural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

The inagural Hall of Fame class was represented by 5 men whose names are synonomous with college basketball success: James Naismith, John Wooden, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and Dean Smith.

It was an amazing event and I was a kid in a candy store surrounded by so many great college coaches and players.

Below are some notes/highlights of the evening for me. Also click the photo album below to see some of the pictures from the night.

It was a great evening and a night this Jayhawk, and college basketball, fan will never forget.
Rock Chalk,

Mic
John Wooden--96 years old, but still amazingly sharp-minded. Being around him was awe-inspiring. I was also fortunate enough to get him to sign my program (along with Dean Smith and Bill Walton). He won multiple National Championships at UCLA.

James Naismith's grandson--Did a nice job speaking on behalf of his grandfather and illustrated how important it is for the Naismith family to be a part of the event. The Naismith family also has a foundation that helps get children interested in and involved in sports.
Bill Russell--played college basketball for the University of San Francisco and then played several years in the NBA with the Boston Celtics. Was a part of a high school championship, two college national championships and ELEVEN NBA championships.

Oscar Robertson--played for the University of Cincinnati and later in the pros. Is the only player to have averaged a triple double (points, assists, rebounds) in a college season.
Dean Smith--grew up in Kansas; played at KU under Phog allen; currently the coach with the most wins in NCAA history.

Billy Packer--CBS analyst; he was the emcee for the evening and did a nice job and was very complimentary of Kansas City's roots, history and tradition as it relates to college basketball.

Bill Walton--introduced John Wooden with a very long and funny speech--played for Wooden at UCLA, played in the NBA, and now is an NBA broadcaster.

Max Falkenstein--Recently retired KU broadcaster. Had called KU games on the radio for 60 years. A KU icon.

Larry Brown--Led KU to the 1988 National Championship. The only coach to have won a championship as a coach in college, in the NBA and in the Olympics.

Bob Frederick--former KU athletic director.

Christian Moody, Patrick Richey--former KU basketball players.

C. M. Newton--former Athletic Director at the University of Kentucky.

Mike Kryzweiski--Head coach at Duke University.

Bobby Knight--Former head coach at Indiana University. Now the coach at Texas Tech.
Denny Crum--Former Louisville head coach.

Steve Lavin--Former UCLA Bruin head coach. Currently an ESPN analyst. He made a funny comment about Bill Walton, saying "I owe a lot to Bill Walton. He helped me get a job at ESPN after UCLA handed me my pink slip. He never liked me when I was coaching at UCLA, but he helped me get a job during a very difficult time."

Mike Jarvis--Former head coach at George Washington University and St. John's University. Does some tv broadcasting.

Johnny Dawkins--Assistant Head Coach at Duke University and former Duke player.

Also, there were video excerpts from Dick Vitalke, Roy Williams and Wayne Embry and the night ended with a song by legendary KC blues/jazz singer Ida McBeth.