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 Marvin Satterly | Greg Smith | Art Spoelstra | Kami Thomas (Howard)
Gish played on two Western NIT
teams (1949 & '50) and Hilltopper squads had an overall winning
ratio during his college career. Gish earned All-America honors
his senior season and the 16.3 points per game was the third
highest season mark ever for a Hilltopper at the time. Gish currently
resides in Valdosta, Georgia.
The two-time All-America linebacker
(1974 & '75) led the Toppers to NCAA-II national championship
games in 1973 and 1975. He also helped Western win a pair of
Ohio Valley Conference and Grantland Rice Bowl football titles.
Green was recently selected to the OVC All-Half-Century team
and the three defensive squads Green played on gave up an average
of only 9.4 points per game. Green now resides in Charleston,
South Carolina.
Under the tutelage of Coach Ted Hornback, Hassall helped three Hilltopper tennis squads to a combined 55-7 record in doubles matches. He also led the 1968 and '71 team to 19-1 doubles' marks. With Hassall, Western squads won 17 of 22 matches in 1971 and the three teams he played on captured Ohio Valley Conference championships. Hassall was honored earlier this year as one of four former Topper athletes on the 12-man OVC All-Half-Century Team. Hassall is currently the head
professional and athletic director at the Marion Cricket Club
in Haverford, Pennsylvania, the oldest true racquets club in
the nation.
Rhodes also helped lead Western's
baseball team to its first-ever OVC title in 1952. He was the
winning pitcher in the title game of that year's tournament.
After playing professional basketball with the Indianapolis Olympians,
Rhodes had a successful high school coaching career and was an
assistant basketball coach at Western for four seasons (1964-68)
before serving as head coach of the Kentucky Colonels ABA team
for three seasons. Rhodes now resides in Lousiville.
He was a member of Western's first-ever OVC championship football squad and played in the school's first bowl game in 1952. The team's 1953 captain and an All-America selection as a senior, Satterly was also recently named to the OVC's All-Half-Century Team. Satterly was a successful businessman
in Louisville before his death in January of this year.
The 6-5 forward continued his
success on the hardwood after college, playing for eight years
in the NBA, first with the Milwaukee Bucks (1968-72), followed
by stints with the Houston Rockets (1971-72) and the Portland
Trail Blazers (1972-76). The Bucks won an NBA championship during
Smith's tenure there. Smith currently lives in the Portland,
Oregon area.
The Topper center helped Western to three 20-win seasons and an 80-14 overall record while scoring 1,510 career points (10th best on WKU scoring list) and averaging 16.4 points per game (9th best at WKU) during his tenure. Spoelstra scored 52 points in
a contest against Morehead State in 1953, the first 50-point
game for a Kentucky collegian. That scoring mark ranks as the
second best ever for a Hilltopper basketball player. The two-sport
athlete also lettered in baseball and currently resides in Evansville,
Indiana.
Kami Thomas (Howard) was a key member of Western's first-ever NCAA Final-Four squad (1985). The former Warren East High School guard helped Western's Lady Toppers to 103 wins in 131 games (78.6%) and was the spark plug for one of the most successful women's basketball squads at Western.. Her senior season saw the Lady Toppers rack up 32 wins, the highest total ever for Western. Thomas (Howard) remains a leader in nine categories, ranking in the top two in points scored (1,796) and games started (120). She averaged 14.0 points per game for her career and her 335 total assists ranks her seventh on the all-time WKU list. She is currently the head coach at her high school alma mater in Bowling Green, Warren East. [ 1995 Inductees ] [ 1994 Inductees ] [ 1993 Inductees ] [ 1992 Inductees ] [ 1991 Inductees ] [ HOF Home ] [ Traditions Home ] [ WKU Home ] |
