Former Utah State Star Named To College Basketball Hall Of Fame
Dec 31, 2024, 3:07 PM | Updated: Jan 2, 2025, 2:24 pm
LOGAN, Utah – A tragic accident cut the life of Utah State basketball star Wayne Estes short, but his impact in Logan will never be forgotten. Sixty years after his sudden death, Estes will be one of eight college basketball legends inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
USU and the College Basketball Hall of Fame announced the eight-person class on Tuesday, December 31. Along with Estes, Dave Meyers (UCLA), Sihugo Green (Duquesne), Lennie Rosenbluth (North Carolina), Sam Lacey (New Mexico State), John Rudometkin (USC), Tom Stith (St. Bonaventure), and Coach Jack Hartman (Coffeyville CC/Southern Illinois/Kansas State) have earned induction. The college basketball HOF is located in Kansas City, Missouri.
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𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐧𝐞 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐬 🤝 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐎𝐟 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐞
Wayne Estes named to @TheCBE National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
➡️ https://t.co/o7pAvZPTHy pic.twitter.com/qZwOSx8FBT
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 31, 2024
An All-American at Utah State, Estes played three seasons at USU (1963-65) and remains the fourth-leading scorer and rebounder in Aggie history. Estes’ 26.7 points per game is the best scoring average in program history, and his 33.7 ppg in 1965 is the highest single-season total.
After scoring 48 points in a game against the University of Denver on February 8, 1965, Estes and friends stopped to help at the scene of a vehicle accident. The likely NBA draft pick was fatally electrocuted after making contact with a downed power line.
A legend on the court, and an even better person and teammate.
3️⃣3️⃣ | Wayne Estes
Forever enshrined as a Hall of Famer. pic.twitter.com/2dzEVDfxcZ
— USU Men's Hoops (@USUBasketball) December 31, 2024
Estes was posthumously awarded All-American honors by the Associated Press and named a consensus second-team All-American. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inducted Estes in 1967.
About the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, a program of the NABC Foundation, has honored the game’s greatest contributors since 2006, including legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Charles Barkley, Tim Duncan, and Larry Bird, just to name a few of the many receiving the honor since 2006. The Hall of Fame is housed in The College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Missouri – the most interactive basketball museum/experience ever created with the stated mission to celebrate the sport’s rich history and the game itself on a year-round basis.
Details for the induction event will be announced at a later date.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here.
