Mar

? ? ? how sweet it is ? ? ?

March madness is upon us and while the team at UpThink is busy getting psyched to watch the Mountaineers take on Gonzaga for a spot in the elite eight we thought highlighting a few outstanding athletes from the pantheons of WV hall-of-fame sports history would be a great way to get in the mood.

Jerry West

Hometown: Cheylan

Claim to fame: Two-time All-America at West Virginia University. He led the Lakers to 1972 NBA title as player and in the 1980’s as G.M. helped build an L.A. dynasty that won five NBA championships

Fun Fact – West’s silhouette is featured in the NBA logo.

Mary Lou Retton

Hometown: Fairmont

At 1984 Olympics she became first U.S. gymnast to win gold in women’s all-around competition.

Fun Fact – Retton is the first woman to be featured on the Wheaties box.

Hal Greer

Hometown: Huntington

Greer is the first African-American to play basketball for a major West Virginia University scoring a whopping 1,377 points for Marshall and going on to average 19.2 points for 15 seasons in the NBA.

Fun Fact – Greer played in 10 consecutive NBA All-Star Games from 1961-1970

Hot Rod Hundley

Hometown: Charleston

Hundley was a two-time All-America at West Virginia University and he was a top pick of 1957 NBA draft, by Cincinnati Royals he averaged 8.4 points in six seasons. Hundley finished his six-year professional career at age 28. His career totals were 3,625 points, 1,420 rebounds and 1,455 assists.

Fun Fact – In 2000, Hundley graduated from WVU with a bachelor’s degree in arts and sciences, 43 years after leaving his alma mater without a degree to play in the NBA.

Anne White

Hometown: Charleston

White attended John Adams Junior High School and George Washington High School in Charleston, and went on to become a two-time All-American tennis player at the University of Southern California.

Fun Fact – White is best known for waring a controversial full-body white spandex jumpsuit during a match at Wimbledon sparking outrage at the conservative tournament.