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Chet Walker elected to Basketball Hall of Fame

Da Coach

Da Coach

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It is hard to believe, but BU and NBA great Chet Walker is not in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Until today.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame just announced Chet Walker has been elected to the Hall of Fame by their Veterans Committee.

This announcement was made in Orlando as part of the NBA All-Star festivities where the regular nominees for the HOF class of 2012 were introduced. The official announcement will be made April 2nd at the Final Four, and enshrinement will be Sept. 6.
 
Here is the press report just released-
http://www.hoophall.com/news/2012/2...or-the-class-of-2012-announced-by-the-na.html


From the Veterans Committee
CHET WALKER [Player] – Walker is widely known as one of the most athletic, skilled and resilient players in his era having missed only 21 games in his decorated 13-year NBA career. The seven-time NBA All-Star was also a member of the 1967 NBA Champion Philadelphia 76ers that is recognized as one of the greatest teams in history and ended the Boston Celtics run of eight straight titles. He went on to score 18,831 points and grab 7,314 rebounds in his career and was only the eighth player in NBA history to play more than 1,000 career games at the time of his retirement in 1975. As a member of the Chicago Bulls, he led the NBA in free throw percentage at .859 during the 1970-71 season. In college, Walker was a unanimous First Team All-America selection in 1962, leading Bradley to the NIT finals in back-to-back seasons, and winning the championship in 1960. He graduated as Bradley’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. He was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals and selected to the 1963 NBA All-Rookie Team.


Here are the regular 12 finalist nominees for the 2012 HOF. Those elected to the Class of 2012 will be announced April 2nd at the Final Four, along with the official announcement of Chet Walker, and the others above being enshrined-
http://www.hoophall.com/news/2012/2...sketball-hall-of-fame-announces-12-final.html
 
Long overdue - here's the Trib article
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...ketball-hall-of-fame-20120224,0,1094046.story

Career scoring 18,831 - ranks 49th all time without the aid of 3-pt baskets - and 10th among players whose careers ended before the 3-pt goal
Career rebounding 7,314 - still ranks 79th best all time and among the top 20 of players who were not post players
Career FT's 5,079 - still ranks 27th best all time
Still ranks inside the TOP 50 NBA players ever - and the NBA did not adopt the 3-point shot until 1979-80,
four years after Chet retired...
 
IMO Chet was the greatest college and NBA player who was not already in the Hall of Fame. The Veterans Committee corrected a glaring omission by the Hall. If Chet had played for the NY Knicks or the Boston Celtics he would have been enshrined 30 years ago.
 
I remember Chet playing for the Bulls. I do not remember him ever being in attendance at a Bradley game after his retirement. Does anyone know when his jersey number was retired by Bradley?
 
Bradley retired his jersey in 1976, which was a no-brainer for maybe the greatest player in school history, and a two-time All-American. But if I recall, Chet had his own reasons and did not return to Peoria after that.
 
Da Coach said:
Bradley retired his jersey in 1976, which was a no-brainer for maybe the greatest player in school history, and a two-time All-American. But if I recall, Chet had his own reasons and did not return to Peoria after that.
Click to expand...

His autobiography wasn't kind to BU or Peoria. Said it was a racist town he couldn't wait to leave (likely true at the time).

Two more things:

1. He is the greatest player in BU history. I grew up in the Hawk era but Chet was unparalleled.

2. Always loved the story about how Chet was bound for Nebraska and then assistant coach Joe Stowell kidnapped him and brought him to Peoria.
 
Da Coach said:
It is hard to believe, but BU and NBA great Chet Walker is not in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Until today.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame just announced Chet Walker has been elected to the Hall of Fame by their Veterans Committee.

This announcement was made in Orlando as part of the NBA All-Star festivities where the regular nominees for the HOF class of 2012 were introduced. The official announcement will be made April 2nd at the Final Four, and enshrinement will be Sept. 6.
Click to expand...


Chet Walker's induction into the Naismith Hall of Fame will be this week.

Dave Reynolds: Finally, fame: Former BU great Chet Walker to be inducted into the Basketball HOF 37 years after retirement from the NBA
http://www.pjstar.com/bradleyhoops/...the-NBA?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

How Chet Walker ended up at Bradley-
http://www.pjstar.com/bradleyhoops/...a-Brave?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
 
Missouri Brave said:
His autobiography wasn't kind to BU or Peoria.....
Click to expand...

First - let me say I am a big Chet Walker fan and still admire him and am a fan simply because he was a BRAVE! And I am proud he is in the HOF.

I have read Chet's book which I firmly believe was significantly embellished for the sake of selling as a "racism" story rather than a basketball story......it actually was less than mediocre on either account....no true plot or point of view - just little snippets and stories of how bad he was treated and how he tries to make himself into a basketball-Jackie Robinson.
If the book is negative towards BU...then much of it was inaccurate as Chet himself said (see below)....so go figure.

...and there were a lot of good, adoring fans, and people in Peoria and at BU that did plenty to help assure that Chet Walker was a mega star basketball player in his era, boost his career, and help him make to where he was and is today - and one thing that even Joe Stowell has agreed on is that Chet was as ungracious, thankless, and insulting to those people as can be imagined.
There were people (well documented) who helped Chet with support and finances thru some of his hard times...only to have him betray them.
If there are bridges burned and if Chet never acknowledges or thanks Peoria - it's on Chet - not on Peoria or fans here.
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=187465&postcount=11
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=187493&postcount=14



but one last thought - several years ago a PJS writer contacted Chet about the words he had in his book and asked him to confirm whether they were true or not...
Guess what - he readily admitted the words were largely inaccurate or NOT HIS - and were put there to sell the book then he went on to pretty much recant the negative things...
If there was anyone he was ticked at - it was the PJ Star for saying negative things about him...which again in today's PJS article reiterates negatives and says Chet was to blame for making enemies which kept him out of the HOF so long.
http://bradleyfans.com/vb/showpost.php?p=187507&postcount=16
 
I'm happy that President Joanne Glaaser will be at the HOF Ceremony to represent BU and support Walker. It's time for all sides to begin mending their broken bridges. Glasser and BU recognize that Chet Walker is an important piece of Bradley Basketball history... Hopefully, Chet will as well.
 
Braves4Life said:
I'm happy that President Joanne Glaaser will be at the HOF Ceremony to represent BU and support Walker. It's time for all sides to begin mending their broken bridges. Glasser and BU recognize that Chet Walker is an important piece of Bradley Basketball history... Hopefully, Chet will as well.
Click to expand...

People from Bradley and Peoria have reached out to Chet before, many times. I wish Pres. Glasser good luck, but I do not expect things to change. :(
 
I happened to stumble on a couple columns that ranked the BEST Philadelphia Sixers of all time...

Here's one that's going on now and their countdown is currently at #5 and they still haven't named Chet Walker - so I suspect he's in the Top 4
http://www.courierpostonline.com/ar...op-10-Greatest-Sixers-All-Time-No-5-Hal-Greer

but then I ran across this ranking of the best Sixers - and I guess I am astounded - the guy who made this ranking up is insane!

He has Hersey Hawkins at #19 - I guess I have no problem with that ...but #18 is Samuel Dalembert????

But then he has Moses Malone at #15 and Chet Walker at #13..and Doug Collins at #16...

Then he places Steve Mix at #12, Wilt Chamberlain at only #7 (what the hey??)...
..and then he has Allen Iverson at #6, Dolph Schayes at the top spot...
I guess everyone's entitled to their opinions - but the guy is crazy...
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ia-76ers-50-greatest-all-time-players/page/33
 
Doug Collins will be inducted into National Collegiate Hall of Fame... (I don't believe he is in the NBA Hall of Fame - does anyone know?)
however - even tho the MVC will honor this as well - keep in mind that as good as Doug was, he played a collegiate schedule of games vs. "small school" opponents (DePauw, Winona State, Stout State, Bemidji State, NE Missouri, etc..)
...... and was never a part of the Missouri Valley Conference. (Illinois State did not become a member of the MVC until 1981 - almost a decade after Doug left college)
http://www.goredbirds.com/news/2016...iate-basketball-hall-of-fame.aspx?path=mbball
 
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