Luke Witte

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Luke Witte (born October 19, 1950 in Philadelphia) was a U.S. college and professional basketball player who is now a church minister. He played collegiately for Ohio State University and professionally for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was during his time at Ohio State that he was severely injured in one of the more brutal on-court fights in basketball history.

1 High school and college
- 1.1 The Assault
2 Pro career
3 After Basketball
4 External links

[edit] High school and college

Witte was a standout high school player at Marlington High School in Alliance, Ohio, where he scored over 1500 points during his career.

He went on to Ohio State University, where as a sophomore in 1971 he led the team in rebounds (331 for the season) and was all-Big Ten. The Ohio State team were Big Ten co-champions, and teamed with fellow Buckeye standouts Allen Hornyak and Jim Cleamons

[edit] The Assault

In the Ohio State-Minnesota game, at Minnesota on January 23, 1972 , Ohio State led 50-44 with 36 seconds to go. Witte went for a layup but was fouled hard. Immediately following the foul, Minnesota player Corky Taylor extended an arm to help Witte up, then kneed Witte in the groin, then punched him in the head. While on the floor, he was also kicked and stomped by Minnesota player Ron Behagen.

What followed was an extended brawl. Witte's teammate, Dave Marchand, attempted to come to his aid, but was struck in the face several times by Gopher Jim Brewer. Another Buckeye, Mark Wagar, was attacked by Minnesota player -- and future Major League Baseball Hall of Famer -- Dave Winfield, who landed five punches into Wagar's face. Officials stopped the game, and awarded the Buckeyes a 50-44 victory, prompting Minnesota fans to boo and throw objects as Witte was carried from the floor. Hospitalized for several days, Witte's injuries, in the eyes of many, permanently affected his career. Taylor and Behagen were suspended for the remainder of the season by Big Ten commissioner Wayne Duke.

Ohio State head coach Fred Taylor was angered that the NCAA and Big Ten Conference refused to pursue further measures against the Minnesota program, and said later that his enthusiasm for the game was lost as a result; he retired early, in 1976. The Minnesota coach, Bill Musselman, an Ohio native, was previously respected for his success at Ashland College. He was widely blamed for fostering a thuggish Gopher atmosphere -- for instance, he had his team perform dunks and slams during pre-game workouts, unusual for college basketball. Musselman denied that he ordered his team to play dirty or to initiate fights, but was fired by the University of Minnesota anyway.

After the Ohio State-Minnesota fracas, the NCAA banned the practice of players performing dunks and slams during pre-game warmups when officials were not present.

[edit] Pro career

Witte was selected in the fourth round of the 1973 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, who also drafted fellow Buckeyes Cleamons and Hornyak. Witte saw part-time action over three seasons; his 235 pound body spread over 7 feet was not durable or strong enough for the pro game.