My father, Glenn Roberts Sr., should have, by now, been inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

In 1978, when it became apparent that Glenn was terminally ill, over 100 respected coaches, former college opponents, teammates, sports writers and editors, referees and others corresponded with the Hall of Fame in hope of seeing Glenn Roberts inducted prior to his death. Two, who spoke up for Glenn Roberts were Hall of Famers Denny Crum of University of Louisville and Ben Carnevale of the Navy. A few other notables were coaches Ray Mears of University of Tennessee., Terry Holland of University of Virginia, Joe Hall of University of Kentucky and sports editors Furman Bisher of Atlanta and Tom Siler of Knoxville.

Glenn Roberts has not been inducted into the Hall of Fame because he was from the South. I say this because it is a fact that none of the 57 college players born 1935 or before, represents the South as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. This was not intentional, but was an inevitable process that occurred because the game's origin was New England with the powerful New York City press subsequently writing early college basketball history. Many, especially Southerners, contend that several basketball reputations were made, or at least greatly enhanced, when players were given the chance to show their stuff under the scrutinizing eye of the all-powerful Northeast press, especially in Madison Square Garden. The great Hank Luisetti was the prime example for this. Glenn Roberts never had this exposure opportunity.

Let us look at some reasons why Glenn Roberts should be in the Hall of Fame. First, at Pound's high school, Christopher Guest, in Glenn's junior and senior year (1930-31) the team's record was 28 & 2 and 35 & 0 with a state championship both years.

At Emory and Henry College (1931-35) he scored 2,013 points in 104 games for a 19.4 per game average. This was a new scoring record that stood until the early 1950s and still stands for play prior to the 1937 revision of the center-jump rule. This accumulative scoring and per game average totally dwarfed every college statistic prior to 1935. His scoring record was featured in "Believe It Or Not." In the early 1930s team scores were typically something like 25 to 30 points per team total. A 19-plus average would today be comparable to something like a 45 to 50-point average. The four-year team record was 90 wins and 14 losses.

In a game against Union College he scored 38 points. He is the first player in college basketball to have a 50-point game. This occurred against the barnstorming "House of David" team who had a 7-foot center at the time.

Glenn Roberts' opponents were large and small schools that regularly included Tennessee, Richmond, Virginia Tech, William and Mary, George Washington, University of Virginia, etc. Glenn Roberts was All-Conference and All-State each of his four years and All-American his senior year. In 1980 he was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

What was Glenn's secret to being such a prolific scorer? It was the use of a jump shot. Award winning historian, Stephen Fox, in his book "Big Leagues," states that "Glenn Roberts was able to score so prolifically because he had a weapon (jump shot) never seen before."

He received many professional offers after college, and while coaching at Norton, he was induced by Firestone of the NBL (National Basketball League) to play for them (1938-39 season). The NBL was the top professional league of the day and changed its name to the NBA in 1949. Firestone won the league championship with a record of 24 and 3. This .875 won/lost record stands as the highest in the history of the NBL or NBA.

After this one spectacular season, Glenn formed a team with his six brothers, five of whom were Virginia high school all state, and they dominated the Northern Ohio industrial leagues during the early 1940s. During the season of 1944-45 the brothers barnstormed Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia raising money for war bonds. For example, on March 10, 1945, $50,000 was raised in a victory over Milligan College.

There is a renewed move afoot, by several prominent people, to have Glenn Roberts inducted into the Hall of Fame. A grassroots movement would have equal impact; therefore, if you feel he is worthy of this honor, it would be greatly appreciated if you would state your reasons why in an e-mail to the Hall of Fame.

Send an e-mail to doleva@hoophall.com   and/or mzeysing@hoophall.com  It would be further appreciated if you would send me a blind copy to gerpar8@comcast.net

We need to let the National Basketball Hall of Fame know that the South and Glenn Roberts were indeed a significant part of the early days of basketball. Thank you for your consideration.