Indiana University Athletics
Hall of Fame Induction 2006 - Spotlight on Jon McGlocklin
11/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Varsity Club
Nov. 9, 2006
With Indiana's Athletics Hall of Fame induction set for Friday, Nov. 10, IUHOOSIERS.com will highlight 2006 inductees Jon McGlocklin (basketball - 1963-65), Dave Power (tennis - 1964-66), Mike Smith (baseball - 1989-92) and Erika Wicoff (golf - 1992-96), as well as Indiana alumnus and legendary sportscaster Dick Enberg, in the week leading up to the induction. Alan Henderson (basketball - 1992-95) will be inducted when his schedule permits. The fourth feature in the week-long series will focus on McGlocklin.
The tradition of Indiana men's basketball is a storied one - from the conference and national championships to the dozens players who went on to play in the NBA to the numerous student-athletes who have moved on to leave their mark on the world in other ways. Among those players are the rare few who fall into all of those categories, and many of those renaissance men have been elected into the Indiana Athletic Hall of Fame. Joining them this year will be one of their own - Jon P. McGlocklin.
"When you feel about your school the way I do, Indiana is still my state and my school," McGlockin said. "Being elected into the Hall of Fame goes into that bracket of very meaningful, special places in your life. For me as a pro, there have been a few moments - having my number retired, winning a championship - there's this special place that these things go. To be inducted into the IU Hall of Fame is the ultimate achievement and honor to me as an athlete because not everyone gets to experience it."
McGlocklin was a three-year letterwinner for the Hoosiers, scoring 827 points from 1963-65. Under legendary head coach Branch McCracken, IU posted a 19-5 season in McGlocklin's final year. In his career, McGlocklin averaged 11.7 points per game in his three seasons.
After graduating from Indiana, McGlocklin moved on to the NBA, where he played for 11 seasons, eight for the Milwaukee Bucks. In his career, he averaged 11.6 points per game, including a 19.6 average and an all-star selection in 1968-69. He helped the Bucks to the 1971 NBA Championship, and his number 14 was retired by the Bucks in 1976.
That night, McGlocklin announced the formation of a new charity - the MACC (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) Fund. After then-broadcaster Eddie Doucette's son was diagnosed with leukemia, Doucette and McGlocklin founded the fund. In the fund's 31 years, it has gone from raising $35,000 in its first year to millions per year today. In addition to being the fund's president and co-founder, McGlocklin has served as the Bucks' TV color analyst for the past 31 years.
McGlocklin credits much of his success after college to the way IU prepared him for the world.
"I think I had a lot of different opportunities like most athletes because I was recruited heavily," McGlocklin said. "I never regretted my decision - I loved IU. It was a great environment not only in class, but out of class as well - the skills I learned there set me up for life. I did not know I was going to be NBA player, but it helped me be an NBA player because of the physical nature of the game in the Big Ten. By allowing me to play guard, IU set me up to be an NBA player, so going to Indiana helped me in all fronts. I loved my school; it was a great four years to say the least."
This will be the fourth hall of fame for McGlocklin, but a special one for the man who has been involved with the NBA for the last 42 years. McGlocklin has already been inducted to the Wisconsin Coaches Hall of Fame, the Wisconsin Sports Hall of Fame and the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame.
The man known by his fans as "Jonny Mac" says he enjoyed being a part of the academic community as much as he enjoyed being a student-athlete at the university.
"I can actually separate it out to student life and athletic life," McGlocklin said. "One of the wonderful things about how coach set things up was that we didn't live together. We went right back into student body for housing, so to me it was two separate entities. We were allowed to be students and that was wonderful to me in terms of what I experienced as a student as it was as an athlete. Even though my athletic life was great, I think being able to have both was really special to me. I think the response and support of fans at Indiana was something I'll always remember. It was somewhat like an extension of Indiana high school basketball - it was pretty special."
