Ohio State State men’s basketball has produced its fair share of celebrities, but as it turns out the majority of the most famous among them are better known for something other than playing the game.
Here’s a look at the brightest stars:
![Former Ohio State basketball player Bob Knight and the rest of the 1960 national championship team was honored at half-time of the Illinois Fighting Illini game at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio on March 5, 2020. [Kyle Robertson/Dispatch]](https://i0.wp.com/ncaabasketballreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/ohio-states-most-famous-mens-basketball-alumni.jpg?resize=3600%2C3067&ssl=1)
Bob Knight
Played for the Buckeyes as a reserve forward out of Orrville, Ohio, from 1959-62. Member of 1960 NCAA national championship team. Longtime college coach who got his start at Army but best known for leading Indiana to three national titles. Famous for his volatility, including tossing a bench chair during a game against Purdue, he landed at Texas Tech after IU fired him, and also spent time in the broadcast booth.
Jerry Lucas
Still considered among the best college players in history, the Middletown native, who will turn 86 on March 30, arrived at Ohio State in 1959 already semi-famous for his play at Middletown High School.
Lucas, a 6-foot-8 center, named NCAA player of the year in 1961 and 1962, helped lead the Buckeyes to three consecutive NCAA championship games, winning the 1960 title. He also was a seven-time NBA All-Star.
Outside of basketball, Lucas was known for owning an incredible memory, at one point memorizing 50 pages of the Manhattan, New York phone book.
Clark Kellogg
“Special K” went to Columbus from Cleveland and made an immediate impact as a 6-foot-7 power forward for the Buckeyes. He averaged a double-double − 14.9 points, 10.1 rebounds − over a three-year career before turning professional after his junior season.
Knee issues shortened a promising NBA career, sending Kellogg to the broadcast booth, where he has become a staple of CBS’ March Madness programming.
John Havlicek
“Hondo” saved his best basketball for after college. A native of Martins Ferry, Ohio, the 6-5 small forward/shooting guard averaged 14.5 points his junior year at OSU and 17 points as a senior when he was named an All-American, joining Lucas and Knight on the 1960 title team.
But his fame blew up in Boston, where as a member of the Celtics he became an eight-time NBA champion and 13-time All-Star. He finished his 16-year pro career averaging 20.8 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@dispatch.com and on X.com at @rollerCD.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State men’s basketball most famous alumni includes Clark Kellogg