Material provided by Clarice Wicks, class of 1953.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided by Clarice Wicks, class of 1953.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided for scanning by Clarice Wicks, class of 1953.
A first team
photograph
from the 1949 class annual shows why Art Spoolstra was a significant
asset to the Godwin basketball team, and did well in college basketball
later.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Apparently the Grand Rapids Herald picked an "All-Valley" team in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The one below is from about 1950.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Material provided by Alecia Pant, class of 1951.
Bowling Green, Ky. — Eight former Western Kentucky University
athletes have been elected as the eighth class for induction
into the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame.
The 1998 class includes — Raymond "Rip" Gish (basketball), Rick Green (football), Terry Hassall (tennis), Gene Rhodes (basketball and baseball), Marvin Satterly (football), Greg Smith (basketball), Art Spoelstra (basketball and baseball) and Kami Thomas (Howard) (basketball).
Their selection brings to 69 the number of former Western Kentucky athletes and coaches who have earned berths in the school's Athletic Hall of Fame.
Now, more about the members of the 1998 WKU Athletic Hall of Fame class.
• Art Spoelstra was an outstanding basketball and baseball athlete for the Hilltoppers in the early 1950s, earning All-America honors on the hardwood in 1953 and '54. A three-time All-OVC pick (1952-54) at center, he helped lead the Toppers to three 20-win seasons (80-14 overall, an 85.1% success ratio), three OVC titles and three appearances in the NIT. He scored 1,510 career points (still 10th best among all Hilltoppers) and averaged 16.4 points an outing (still the ninth best career scoring average for a Western cager). The 52 points he scored against Morehead State in December, 1953, was the first 50-point game for a Kentucky collegian and still ranks as the second best single game total in the WKU record books. He resides in Evansville, Ind.
Interview with Art Spoelstra, June 24, 1990.
Left click on any item below for a larger version.
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