Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Moving Induction Ceremony to Springfield in 2027
Pictured (L-R): Mike McDorman (Greater Springfield Partnership), Jeanne Gulick (Board President, OBHOF and HOF'er), Bill Hoskett, (Board Member, OBHOF and HOF'er), Mayor Rob Rue, Katie Smith (OSU WBK Assistant Coach and HOF'er), Brian Agler (Wittenberg AD and HOF'er), Tamika Williams-Jeter (UD WBK Head Coach and HOF'er)
Springfield, Ohio – A historic announcement took place in a fitting location on Monday, June 29, as Wittenberg University hosted a news conference to announce that the Greater Springfield Partnership and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame (OBHOF) have agreed to host the latter organization’s annual Induction Ceremony in Springfield, starting in May 2027.
The announcement took place in the 1929 Fieldhouse in Wittenberg’s Health, Wellness & Athletics (HWA) Complex, the site of many of the University’s greatest basketball triumphs between 1923 and 1982. Renovations to the 1929 Fieldhouse were completed in 2019, and there are more on the way in 2026 as the facility completes its transformation back into a competition space for Tiger teams.
The OBHOF was founded in 2005 to celebrate the achievements of both male and female basketball players, coaches, and contributors across high school, college, and professional levels across the state of Ohio. The organization has hosted an induction ceremony and banquet each year since then, with the location of the event always in Columbus.
That will change in 2027 as the event moves to Springfield. Details about the venue and how to purchase tickets will be announced in the coming weeks, with information about the members of the Class of 2027 to be announced in January of next year.
Through the Class of 2026, which was celebrated at an event in May, the OBHOF has inducted almost 300 individuals and teams who have “left an indelible mark on the game.” That includes eight Wittenberg graduates and two Tiger teams: Brian Agler ’80, Larry Baker ’71, Bill Brown ’73, Pam Evans Smith ’82, Bob Hamilton ’63, Don Henderson ’54, Eldon Miller ’61, Steve Moore ’74, and the 1961 and 1977 NCAA Championship men’s teams (Wittenberg OBHOF Inductees). All of Wittenberg’s OBHOF inductees played or coached in what is now known as the 1929 Fieldhouse.
“Springfield is a basketball town through and through,” said Mike McDorman, president and CEO of the Greater Springfield Partnership. “Hosting the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is a testament to our city’s revitalization and our enduring legacy in the sport. We look forward to welcoming the state’s basketball elite to Springfield and showing them the hospitality that our community is known for.”
Written By: Ryan Maurer