Kenny Sailors Selected to National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Among the banners of the University of Wyoming's greatest teams, you will see only one player's jersey adorned in the rafters of the Arena Auditorium, the great Kenny Sailors. Now, Sailors will be recognized among the greatest in National basketball history, as he has been named to the 2012 class of the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

The College Basketball Player of the Year in 1943 and 1946, Sailors led UW to their only National Championship in Basketball in 1943, and is the only three-time All-American basketball player in the history of University of Wyoming basketball. Sailors is also the oldest-living Most Outstanding Player from the NCAA Tournament (born January 14, 1921), earning the honor in the 1943 campaign. Despite all of these accolades, Sailors may best be known as the inventor of the modern jump shot.

Some people think I’m as old as Methuselah.  The only thing Methuselah didn’t have that I do is the jump shot.  I think the jump shot has done more to keep me in front of the people who select these type of honors than anything."

In only the seventh class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, Sailors will be inducted alongside such greats as Georgetown center Patrick Ewing; Kansas center Clyde Lovellette; North Carolina guard Phil Ford; Winston-Salem State guard Earl Monroe; Grambling center Willis Reed; Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall; Virginia Union coach Dave Robbins; and contributors Jim Host, founder of Host Communications, and Joe Dean, of Converse and LSU.

In his enshrinement, Sailors will join such greats as James Naismith, John Wooden and his former coach, Everett Shelton.

I’m honored to be selected, even though I am a little late in years, and I’m honored to be joining Coach (Everett) Shelton in the Hall.”

After leading Wyoming to the 1943 National Championship under Shelton, Sailors enlisted in the Marines and served in the South Pacific, before lacing up once again for Wyoming's 1945-1946 season, where he would again be named an All-American and the College Basketball Player of the Year.

The chair of the Hall of Fame selection panel, Reggie Minton said in a statement, "The Class of 2012 has incredible roots in the game of college basketball – from the player who introduced the jump shot at Wyoming to the domination of a 7-footer at Georgetown. This group of coaches, players and contributors will no doubt bring back memories of national championships, All-American performances and the tremendous growth of the sport throughout the years."

The induction ceremony will be held on November 18, 2012 at the Midland Theatre in Kansas City.

Of course, this is not the only recent recognition of Kenny Sailors, a recent book by local author Ryan Thorburn chronicled the success of Wyoming basketball and Sailors in particular.