Hundley

Kendrick

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Two great friends of the West Virginia University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will be among four inducted into the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni this Saturday, Feb. 12, at the Erickson Alumni Center.

Basketball All-American Hot Rod Hundley and Ken Kendrick, part owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, join Dr. James Caveney and Verl O. Purdy in this year’s class of recipients.

“These native West Virginians define Mountaineer greatness,” said Stephen L. Douglass, president and CEO of the WVU Alumni Association. “These men have made their footprints in their respective fields, and we are proud to include them among the ranks of the WVU Academy of Distinguished Alumni.”

Hundley is considered one of the school’s all-time basketball greats, who led WVU to three straight Southern Conference titles from 1955-57. The No. 1 overall player taken in the 1957 NBA draft, Hundley spent six seasons in the NBA with the Minneapolis and Los Angeles Lakers, earning NBA all-star status. Hundley still holds the school single game record by scoring 54 points against Furman in 1957.

Today, Mountaineer fans can still follow Hot Rod on the radio as the voice of the Utah Jazz, a post he has held for 26 years now. In 1982 he received the NCAA Silver Anniversary All-America Team for distinguished service for his lifetime accomplishments and in 1992, he was inducted into the West Virginia University Sports Hall of Fame. In 1994 he was presented the NBA Distinguished Broadcaster Award and recently in 2003, he received the Curt Gowdy Media Award from the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – the only professional player to be honored. Last year he was voted into the Utah Broadcast Hall of Fame.

Kendrick, a native of Princeton, graduated from WVU in 1965 with a degree in business administration. Three years alter he founded Datatel, Inc., which grew into one of the nation’s preeminent software companies servicing colleges and universities. Today, Kendrick remains semi-active in the operation of Datatel, serving as company chairman.

Kendrick’s life-long love of professional baseball eventually led him to the Arizona Diamondbacks, where in 1995 he became partner of the expansion team. In 1998, the Diamondbacks began playing and just three years later in 2001, won the World Series behind pitchers Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling.

Kendrick also supports many worthy community ventures in Arizona. He is one of the main investors in the Dodge Theater in Phoenix, a state-of-the-art entertainment venue that seats approximately 5,500. He also owns the Bumble Bee Ranch and Bumble Bee Ranch Adventures, LLC, which includes more than 74,000 acres for horseback riding, cattle driving, off-road and helicopter tours, overnight facilities, and team-building activities for companies and corporations.

Kendrick has also remained a great friend to his alma mater and to West Virginia. Last year, he helped raise funds for new video editing software for the Athletic Department and lent his expertise to ensure that the equipment would meet the needs of the football team. Induction ceremonies are set to begin at 7 pm.