By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A member of the Tennessee Tech University Sports Hall of Fame Class of 1996, former Golden Eagle star Wayne Pack earned another prestigious honor a little over 20 years later. On Tuesday, the standout Tech guard was named as a member of the 2019 Men's Induction Class for the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.
A state synonymous with the sport of basketball across every level – one that's love of the game earned such a renowned reputation it sparked the creation of one of the sports most heralded films, Hoosiers – the honor of being remembered forever as one of the greats from Indiana is practically unmatchable.
Pack earned the honor while paving a path rarely, if ever traveled by. Attending Indianapolis Washington High School, he was cut from the basketball team as a freshman, sophomore and junior before earning a starting job as a senior. He went on to help lead one of the state's greatest teams of all-time, the 31-0 1969 state champion Continentals. He averaged 9.9 points and 4.0 assists that season, earning All-City, All-Sectional, All-Regional and All-Semi-State recognitions.
Following his short, but impressive high school career, Pack took his talents to Tennessee Tech, where in just three seasons, he set the program's all-time assists record. He played in 73 games, accumulating 1,233 points, 245 rebounds and 422 assists.
Those totals were good enough to rank him fifth all-time in scoring (he still ranks 20th) and first in assists (still ranks fifth). He also posted the top-two single-season totals for assists with 160 in 1970-71 and 146 in 1971-72. Both totals still rank in the top-10 today. His 16 assists in one game was also a school record, ranking second to this day.
He averaged 17.5 points and 6.7 assists his first season, 14.3 points and 6.1 assists his second year and 18.4 points and 4.6 assists in his final campaign with the purple and gold. He claimed All-Ohio Valley Conference recognition twice during his career and, in his final season, took home just the third All-America honor in school history (a total of five players have earned six honors in Tech history).
In 1973, he was the 18th overall selection in the American Basketball Association (ABA) Draft by the San Diego Conquistadors. He went on to play professionally for the Indiana Pacers in 1974-75 and in Spain in 1975-76 with the Iberia Super Stars.
Following his professional basketball career, Pack embarked on a successful business career in human resources with multiple companies. He currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer with Community Health Network. He resides in Indianapolis.
The 58th Men's Induction Class into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame will be inducted on Wednesday, March 20, 2019.
Photo by TTU Sports Information