The Bartlesville Sports Commission's inaugural Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame dinner will pack plenty of star power.
Dale Brown, the decorated former coach of the Louisiana State University men's basketball team, will serve as the featured speaker for the event while inductees Bob Kurland, Dallas Dobbs, Dee Ketchum, Bailey Ricketts and members of the 1967 College High basketball team will be on hand as well.
The Bartlesville Hall of Fame dinner is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, at the Bartlesville Community Center . Proceeds from the event will benefit Bartlesville High School athletics. Checks can be made payable to the Bartlesville Community Foundation. Table sponsorships and individual tickets are available for the event by contacting BSC executive assistant Sherri Lynn at (918) 440-4119 or sherri@bartlesvillesports.com .
The second winningest coach in the history of the Southeastern Conference, Brown spent 25 years as the LSU coach. He is a member of both the North Dakota and Louisiana sports halls of fame as well as the North Dakota and Louisiana coaches halls of fame. The SEC honored Brown by officially naming him an SEC Living Legend.
“Coach Brown was an outstanding coach at LSU and is truly a legend in college basketball,” says Tim Bart, the Bartlesville High School boys basketball head coach. “I have had the pleasure of hearing him speak and I know those attending the hall of fame event are in for a real treat.”
Selections to the Bartlesville Athletic Hall of Fame were made by a nine-member committee after nominations were received by the Bartlesville Sports Commission.
“We are privileged to induct some of Bartlesville 's greatest athletes into the Hall of Fame,” said Gene Batchelder, the chairman of the Bartlesville Sports Commission. “This first-class event will be a great opportunity to showcase how proud Bartlesville is of its athletic achievements.”
A seven-foot center, Kurland starred for legendary coach Henry Iba's Oklahoma A&M College (now Oklahoma State University ) basketball team. He played a vital role as the team captured consecutive NCAA men's national championships in 1945 and ‘46. Kurland went on to play with the Phillips 66ers for six years and led the U.S.A. squad to gold medals in the 1948 and ‘52 Olympics. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1961.
A gifted athlete, Dobbs played basketball, football and baseball at College High from 1949-1952. A prolific scorer, he broke the Wildcat record for most points in a basketball game in ‘52. Dobbs made the All-Region and All-State teams in 1951 and ‘52. He went on to star on the hardwood for the University of Kansas (1953-56) and later for the Phillips 66ers.
Ketchum played football, basketball and golf for College High from 1955-57. He set a basketball conference record for scoring and was named all-state in 1957. Ketchum played for the University of Kansas from 1958-1961. He spent many years coaching area basketball teams. A book and movie entitled “The Long Journey Home” has been released about Ketchum, his family and the Delaware Indians. He served as Chief of the Delaware tribe from 1998-2002.
Ricketts, a graduate of Baker University in Kansas , was the head basketball coach at College High from 1950-1964. Under Ricketts' guidance, the Wildcats qualified for seven state tournaments and captured seven regional championships while finishing 208-98 overall. Ricketts was named the 1959 Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State Basketball Coach and was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1969. He coached fellow inductees Dobbs and Ketchum.
Led by Sid Burton, the 1967 College High basketball team finished 24-2 overall en route to capturing the Class 3A state championship. In the title contest, the Wildcats upset top-ranked Oklahoma City Douglass, 74-72. Burton was the Tulsa World's coach of the year for the 1966-67 campaign while Ernest Guery was an all-state selection.
The mission of the Bartlesville Sports Commission is to further the support of athletics and athletic excellence in the Bartlesville area, to build relationships and rekindle old relationships among Bartlesville alumni for the betterment of Bartlesville Public School Athletics, to promote athletic events and endeavors in the Bartlesville area, and to broadly serve as an ambassador for athletics in Bartlesville.
The BSC is an independent, non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization under the Bartlesville Community Foundation. It is privately funded through individual, family and corporate memberships. A 12-member board of directors and a larger advisory board, consisting of regional business, community and sports leaders direct the organization. For more information, go to www.bartlesvillesports.com.
Now a motivational speaker and author, Dale Brown spent 44 years as a basketball coach. He spent 25 years as the head men's basketball coach at Louisiana State University.