Former Drake standouts Bob Netolicky and Willie Wise were named to the 30-member all-time American Basketball Association team in 1997. The team was chosen by voting of 50 sportswriters and broadcasters who covered the league, referees and ABA executives and officials.
Netolicky, who was a four-time ABA All-Star while guiding the Indiana Pacers to a pair of league titles, received 35 of a possible 50 votes. Wise, who spent most of his ABA career with the Utah Stars, was named on 32 ballots.
Netolicky, who earned first team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 1997, graduated as Drake's all-time rebounding leader (717), while ranking fifth in career scoring with 997 points from 1963-67.
Wise was a starting forward on Drake's 1969 NCAA Final Four team, which posted a 26-5 record. He departed ranking No. 4 on the school career rebounding chart with 626.
ALL-AMERICANS
Charles Orebaugh, 1936-37First-Team All-American (Helms Athletic Foundation)The Des Moines native was the first three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference performer ever. He led the Bulldogs to their first two league championships in basketball in 1935 and 1936. He also was captain of the Drake football team.
Walt O'Connor, 1940-41First Team All-American (Helms Athletic Foundation)O'Connor led the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring (10.8 ppg) as a senior. He earned All-MVC honors in 1939, while helping Drake to a share of the league title. He also was a first-team All-MVC choice in 1941, being selected to play in the College All-Star Basketball Classic in Chicago, Ill. He also lettered in football and baseball, playing with Sacramento of the Pacific Coast League.
Willie McCarter, 1968-69First-Team All-American (Helms Athletic Foundation)McCarter was the leading scorer (20.4 ppg) on the Drake team, which went 25-5, finishing third in the 1969 NCAA Final Four behind champion UCLA. He was named to the 1969 All-NCAA Final Four Tournament team and also named the most valuable player in the 1969 NCAA Midwest Regional. He was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference choice and set three school records. He was a 1969 first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Lewis Lloyd, 1979-811979-80 Third Team All-American by Associated Press, United Press International, Basketball Weekly
1980-81 Third Team All-American by Associated Press, United Press International, Basketball TimesRETIRED JERSEYS
#30 Lewis Lloyd, 1979-81He was a third team all-American as a junior in 1979-80 and senior in 1980-81 by three national sources: Associated Press, United Press International, Basketball Weekly.
A two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, Lloyd ranked second in the nation in scoring (30.2 avg.) and rebounding (15.0 avg.) as a junior, becoming the first player in 29 years to finish second or higher in both categories. He averaged 26.3 points as a senior, leading Drake to the National Invitational Tournament. He broke the Drake record for most career 30-point games at 22.
Lloyd holds the Drake record for season scoring average (30.2), setting the record in 1979-80. He finished his career as the Bulldogs' fourth-lea, ding scorer and sixth-leading rebounder. His number was retired following his senior season in 1981.
#33 Red Murrell, 1955-58Murrell scored 1,657 points in his Drake career, a university record that still stands today. He also holds seven other individual records at Drake.
DRAKE GRADUATE AL MCCOY TO BE ENSHRINED IN BASKETBALL HALL OF FAMEDrake graduate Al McCoy has served as the play-by-play announcer for the Phoenix Suns since 1968. He was the 2007 recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award presented by the Basketball Hall of Fame.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALLWanda Ford, 1982-86-1986 Kodak first-team All-American
-1986 Women’s Sports Federation Player of Year
-1985, 1986 Wade Trophy Finalist
-1983, 1985, 1986 Women’s Basketball Yearbook All-American
She was the first woman to lead the NCAA in scoring and rebounding in the same season. She was inducted into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2001
Lorri Bauman, 1980-84-First woman in NCAA history to reach the 3,000-career point plateau with a school record 3,115 points. She set an NCAA Tournament record that still stands scoring 50 points in 1982 West Regional final against Maryland.
Jan Jensen, 1987-91- Led the NCAA in scoring as a senior in 1990-91 with a 29.6 average She also was named the Academic All-American National Player of the Year by GTE/CoSIDA.
Tricia Wakely, 1992-96-She was named the Academic All-American Co-Player of the Year as well as the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year in 1995-96.
FOOTBALLTOP PLAYERS IN THE PROS
Tom Bienemann — Chicago Cardinals
Johnny Bright — Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos. Bright led Edmonton to the Grey Cup championship in 1954, 1955 and 1956. He retired in 1963 as the Eskimos’ leading rusher with 9,966 yards and was inducted into the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame.
Billy Cundiff—Dallas Cowboys, 2002-05; Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, 2006; Atlanta Falcons, 2007
Pat Dunsmore — 1986 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears
Karl Kassulke — Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings
Pug Manders — Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn Tigers, Boston Braves, Buffalo Bills
Jerry Mertens — San Francisco 49ers
Dennis McKnight — San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns
Mike Samples — Atlanta Falcons, British Columbia Lions, Saskatchewan Roughriders
Dan Turk — Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Raiders
Felix Wright — Houston Oilers, Hamilton Tigercats, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings
FORMER DRAKE ASSISTANT COACHES IN THE NFL
Jim Johnson entered the 2007 campaign in his seventh season as defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was defensive coordinator at Drake from 1969-72.
Wade Harman, a two-year starting linebacker at Drake in 1984 and 1985, entered the 2007 campaign in his eighth season as tight end coach with the Baltimore Ravens. He was on the staff when the Ravens won the 2001 Super Bowl.
MEN’S GOLF
Zach Johnson, 1995-98The Cedar Rapids, Iowa native led Drake to berths in the 1996, 1997 and 1998 NCAA Regionals. He also led the Bulldogs to the 1997 and 1998 Missouri Valley Conference Championships.
In less than a seven-month span Johnson burst onto the international scene by representing the United States in the prestigious Ryder Cup in Straffan, Ireland, Sept. 22-25, 2006.
Then in April he captured the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta, Ga., holding off a late charge by Tiger Woods.
Johnson was ranked 15th in the world following a 20th place finish in the 2007 British Open.
SOCCER
Ezra Hendrickson, who earned third team All-American at Drake in 1993, has played Major League Soccer for more than 10 years. He has been a standout defender for Dallas, Los Angeles, D.C. United, Chivas USA and Columbus.
SOFTBALLDani Tyler, who earned first team All-Midwest Region honors at Drake in 1994 and 1995, was a member of the 1996 U.S. Gold Medal team.
TRACK AND FIELDDRAKE OLYMPIANS1948 Don Pettie (Canada) 100, 200
1952 Arnold Betton High Jump
1952 Jim Lavery (Canada) 400, 4x400 relay
1956 Bob Soth 5,000
PAN AMERICAN GAMES MEDALISTS1971 Rick Wanamaker Decathlon (gold)
1991 Kevin Little 200 (silver)
WORLD TRACK CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALISTSIndoor1989 Kevin Little 200 (bronze)
1993 Kevin Little 200 (bronze)
1997 Kevin Little 200 (gold)
Outdoor1994 Kevin Little 200
1997 Kevin Little 200
2001 Kevin Little 200
NCAA CHAMPIONSCross Country1944 Fred Feiler
1945 Fred Feiler
Outdoor Track and Field1935 Linn Philson, high jump
1952 Jim Ford, 200
1970 Rick Wanamaker, decathlon
DID YOU KNOW THE 1961 DRAKE RELAYS WAS THE FIRST SPORTING EVENT TELEVISED ON "WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS". ABC'S SPORTS ANTHOLOGY SHOW? 