Ohio State All-American Jerry Lucas honored with statue at the Schottenstein Center
Lucas led the Buckeyes to 3 consecutive NCAA championship appearances
One of the best basketball players in the history of the game will be honored forever at Ohio State: The university unveiled a statue of the legendary Jerry Lucas on Friday outside the Schottenstein Center.
Lucas was the first men’s basketball player to become a champion at every level, winning a state high school championship, an NCAA championship, an NBA championship and an Olympic gold medal.
Dozens of supporters filled the northwest corner of the Schottenstein Center for the ceremony. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, Ohio State President Walter “Ted” Carter Jr., Senior Vice President and Wolfe Foundation-Eugene Smith Endowed Athletics Director Ross Bjork and other dignitaries spoke at the ceremony.
Current and former Ohio State basketball players also helped celebrate Lucas’ accomplishments.
“I see so many familiar faces. I thank you for being here. It’s a tremendous, tremendous honor for me,” he said. “I will never, ever forget it. I have a pretty good memory. I’ll never, ever forget you.”
Lucas led the Buckeyes to three consecutive NCAA championship appearances, winning the program’s only title in 1960. He said he was drawn to basketball at a young age.
“I wasn’t a very good player, but I loved the game. And I began to work very, very hard,” he said. “I began to work 12 to 15 hours every day to pursue becoming as good a basketball player as I can. And I always wanted to be part of a team.”
He was a three-time All-American and the 1961 and 1962 consensus National Player of the Year.
Lucas then played 12 seasons in the NBA, winning a title with the New York Knicks in 1973. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star and averaged 17.0 points and 15.6 rebounds per game over his career. On the international level, he was the leading scorer at the 1960 Olympic Games, leading Team USA to the gold medal with 25 points in the championship game.
Lucas has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as well as the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, was named to the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, and his No. 11 is one of five Ohio State jerseys hanging in the rafters at Value City Arena.
In addition to the statue, Lucas was part of a new honor – dotting the i in the Ohio State Fall Athletic Band’s iconic Script Ohio at halftime of the men’s basketball game versus Notre Dame. Lucas is the first basketball player to dot the i at a basketball game, an honor that will be used to recognize the program’s greats.
