Chester "Chet" Walker was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and was selected in 2012 to become a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a seven-time NBA All-Star. He played 13 seasons in the NBA, seven with the Philadelphia 76ers, and he helped lead the 76ers to an NBA championship in 1967. He played his last six seasons for the Chicago Bulls from 1969 to 1975. He played college basketball for the Bradley Braves, twice earning first-team consensus All-American honors, and was famously "hijacked" to Bradley to keep him from attending the University of Nebraska instead. He also won an Emmy award as a television producer.
Lucious Brown Jackson, also known as Luke Jackson, was an American professional basketball player. A power forward and center, he played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1964 to 1972. He was named an NBA All-Star in 1965, and won an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1967. Jackson also played for the U.S. national team in the 1964 Summer Olympics.
Robert Louis Boozer was an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Boozer won a gold medal in the 1960 Summer Olympics and won an NBA Championship as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971. Boozer was a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic team, which was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a unit in 2010.
Robert Albert Kurland was a 7 feet (2.13m) American basketball center, who played for the two-time NCAA champion Oklahoma A&M Aggies basketball team. He has been credited as the first person to dunk in a college basketball game. He led the U.S. basketball team to gold medals in two Summer Olympics, and led his AAU team to three national titles. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Donald Jay Ohl was an American professional basketball player for 10 seasons (1960–1970) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini. The guard took part in five consecutive NBA All-Star Games (1963–1967).
Michael Dennis Dunne is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in the Major League Baseball(MLB) from 1987–1990 and in 1992. He was a member of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Baseball Team.
Brutus Kerr Hamilton was an American track and field athlete, coach and athletics administrator.
Eugene "Squeaky" Melchiorre was an American basketball player. A point guard, he was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets and was the first overall pick in the 1951 NBA draft. Melchiorre never played an NBA game due to his lifetime ban from the league for point shaving when he was a college player.
Ronald Yngve Bontemps was an American basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was born in Taylorville, Illinois, and attended Beloit College. He was a captain of the United States men's basketball team, which won the gold medal in the 1952 Olympic Games. He played in all eight games. Bontemps died on May 13, 2017, in Peoria, Illinois, aged 90.
Melvin Dean Kelley was an American basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics.
Howard Earl "Howie" Williams was an American basketball player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. Williams played collegiately at Purdue University where he was a 2x All-Big Ten guard ; he was selected as the Purdue team MVP in his junior and senior seasons and as Team Captain in 1949–50; posting a career total of 735 points. He led the Big Ten Conference in Free Throw Percentage (85.7%) for the 1948–49 season.
The Wichita State Shockers men's basketball team is the NCAA Division I college basketball program representing Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.
The Bradley Braves are the intercollegiate athletics teams of Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, United States. The Braves' athletic program is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level. The Bradley mascot is Kaboom! the Gargoyle, and the school colors are red and white.
Alan Otis Smith was an American basketball player who played for five seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA). A point guard during his career, he played for the Denver Rockets and Utah Stars and once led the ABA in assists in a season.
The Bradley Braves men's basketball team represents Bradley University, located in Peoria, Illinois, in NCAA Division I basketball competition. They compete as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. The Braves are currently coached by Brian Wardle and play their home games at Carver Arena.
Paul Richard Unruh was an American college basketball standout at Bradley University from 1946 to 1950. He finished as Bradley's all-time leading scorer and was a consensus first-team All-American as a senior in 1949–50. A native of the greater Peoria, Illinois metropolitan area, Unruh attended Toulon High School prior to matriculating at Bradley.
Howard Royce Crittenden was an American basketball player, best known for his college career at Murray State University and in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU).
The Caterpillar Diesels was an amateur basketball team located in Peoria, Illinois and sponsored and run by the Caterpillar Inc. company. The Caterpillars were one of the most successful teams of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in the 1950s and they became world-wide known in 1952 when five of their players represented the USA team in the Olympics, winning the gold medal.
Charlotte Lewis was an American basketball player who competed on the 1976 United States Olympic team.
The 2022–23 Illinois State Redbirds men's basketball team represented Illinois State University during the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Redbirds played their home games at Doug Collins Court at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Illinois as members of the Missouri Valley Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Ryan Pedon. They finished the season 11–20, 6–14 in MVC play to finish in ninth place. They lost to Northern Iowa in the opening round of the MVC tournament.
