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Artwork by Robert Weaver

"During a decade of flattery, pressure, and outlandish recruiting, he has remained as imperturbable as a Mount Rushmore face, behaving in a studied, discerning and appealing fashion both on and off the basketball court. Essentially shy, he has treated fame as a commodity of little intrinsic worth and in a sense has shunned it by playing as the perfect team man in a demanding team game."

Text by Ray Cave
Issue Date: January 8, 1962

In 1961 the NCAA named Ohio State forward Jerry Lucas college basketball's most outstanding player. Lucas averaged 24.9 points per game and led the nation in shooting percentage (.623) and rebounds per game (17.4). He led the Buckeyes to the NCAA championship game, where they lost to the Cinncinatti Bearcats in overtime, 70-65, in the second of three straight championship appearances. Despite the loss, Lucas was named Final Four MVP for the second year in a row.