2/24/2023 0 Comments Pitt basketball![]() ![]() ET Tuesday at the Petersen Events Center. 4 Duke Blue Devils and the Pittsburgh Panthers are set to square off in an ACC matchup at 8 p.m. For Hall of Fame Dinner ticket information, contact Executive Director for Signature Events and Donor Experience Allison Rubin by phone (41) or email ( more information of the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame, visit /halloffame.The No. 21, the inductees will be introduced at Heinz Field when the Panthers host UCF. The 2019 class will receive induction at the Pitt Hall of Fame Dinner on Friday, Sept. The 12-member group is composed of All-Pros, All-Americans and legendary all-time greats. The 2019 Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame Class was unveiled Jby Pitt's Director of Athletics Heather Lyke. If you don't try to be the best then you're not going to have the motivation to get to the top. I think it's all in what your goal is and I've always had a goal. "Pitt is the best you can have in terms of what I did," said Hennon. His dedication and pursuit of perfection have led him to where he is today. Between both, there's been a determination to be the best. One as an incredible basketball player and another as a saver of lives. Behind him he can reflect on two careers. ![]() Now Hennon will take the next step, claiming his spot in the Pitt Athletics Hall of Fame. "That was one of the things that I cherish the most at the university," said Hennon. That same year, his jersey number (10) was retired by the University of Pittsburgh, making Hennon the first to ever have his jersey retired in the basketball programs' history. In 1968, Hennon officially became a surgeon. But I still made the decision to go into medicine." There's nothing like a person coming to you to care for them and they're going to die and you do something for them and they don't die. "Scoring points is great but saving lives is greater. ![]() "Some people may look at it differently," said Hennon. Hennon hasn't ever regretted his decision. Who knows if I would've even made the NBA."Ī decision like Hennon's would be unthinkable today. "I approached the people at the medical school and they said if you go then we can't guarantee you'll have a position in the school when you come back," said Hennon. And when it came time to choose between playing for his country or medical school, the decision was surprisingly easy. The lingering passion for medicine stuck with Hennon throughout his college career. That's where his story takes an dramatic turn. Some games you play better than other games."Īs a result of his collegiate success, Hennon received an offer to play for the United States in the 1960 Olympics. "I shot a lot of what would be now a three-point shot, but I also had a lot of driving shots," said Hennon. In a version of basketball that would be unrecognizable today, he set the school record in points in a single game (45) against Duke in 1957, a record that is still held by Hennon to this day. After that, Hennon was named a Consensus All-American in 1958 and Consensus Second Team All-American in 1959. At Pitt, he led the Panthers to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 19. In an era without the three-point line, shot clock or bonus foul shots, Hennon found a way to dominate on the offensive end. For me it worked out and couldn't have been better." "But they also have a great medical school. "When I visited Pitt, I knew I wanted to play here because my family and friends could come watch games," said Hennon. He narrowed it down to Duke, North Carolina State, Maryland and Pittsburgh. With an interest in both basketball and medicine, Hennon concluded his recruitment with around 80 scholarship offers. But none of my family members were doctors at the time." "I was a junior or senior in high school when I first found an interest in medicine," said Hennon. However, during that last year of high school, Hennon developed the passion for something bigger than basketball. ![]() "I was the leading scorer in the whole state of Pennsylvania," said Hennon. Hennon went on to lead Wampum High School to a 31-0 record and state championship his senior year, passing one of the greatest players of all-time in scoring along the way. As he grew up, the practice certainly paid off. Every single day growing up, Hennon would go to that gym and practice. He refers to a book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell in which it states "to be world-class in any skill, you must practice for 10,000 hours". "I would be in the gym in the morning at 6:00 am for hours before school started, on top of practices after school with the team because my dad was often working at the school." "I started playing basketball at age 4," said Hennon. And as he did his many tasks throughout the day, his son, Don, stuck around too. Butler Hennon never seemed to leave Wampum High School property. In a little town northwest of Pittsburgh, Pa., one man was the high school principal, janitor and head basketball coach. ![]()
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