Lew Wilcox (1986) - Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame

Lew Wilcox

Induction:
1986
Class:
1938

One of the players who helped Cam Henderson establish his new basketball program at Marshall, Lew Wilcox was a Huntington High School product who was a starting forward for Henderson’s first three seasons. Henderson’s first team, in 1935-36, logged just a 6-10 record, but the Big Green turned the corner quickly as the players became acclimated to Henderson’s zone defense and “quick break” attacking offense. As a junior in the 1936-37 campaign, Wilcox manned the left forward position, consistently beating opponents up for floor in the fast break, and led Henderson’s team to a 21-8 overall record and Buckeye Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship with a 9-1 league mark. The 21 wins shattered the previous season record, which had been 14 victories during the 1928-29 campaign, and Wilcox received All-Buckeye Conference honors.

That record would go down the following year when stars like Jule Rivlin, Yost Cunningham, Jack Morlock and Boot Elkins joined the squad. Wilcox again received All-Buckeye Conference accolades, Marshall won a consecutive league title as it ran the table to a 10-0 conference record, and the team received the school’s first postseason bid with a berth in the NAIB National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. There Marshall won its first-round game with a 67-61 victory over the Peru State College (Neb.) Bobcats, then fell 53-51 to Washburn University (Kan.) Ichabods to end the season with a 28-4 record. After serving as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Wilcox returned to Marshall to earn a master’s degree and spent a career working as a curriculum director for the West Virginia Department of Education. Wilcox was inducted into the Marshall Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986.