2002 Inductee
Billy Joe Adcock

Billy Joe Adcock did it all at West High School in Nashville. Starting in 1943 through 1946, he was a three-year letterman in football, basketball and baseball. He was a member of the State Basketball Championship Team twice and played in the All-Star football game at Dudley field in 1945.

Following graduation from West High School, Billy Joe Adcock was offered the first basketball scholarship ever given by Vanderbilt University. He also received basketball scholarship offers from other SEC Universities, including Kentucky and Tennessee.
But, Billy Joe Adcock was Black and Gold through and through. He enrolled in Vanderbilt University and immediately made his mark. He was a four-year starter at Vanderbilt. During the 1947-48 season, he averaged 17.1 points per game, highest in the SEC and 13th best in the nation.

Highlights of his career include: All-SEC Basketball team three years; All-SEC Basketball Tournament team three years; first Vanderbilt basketball player to score over 1000 career points, team captain his senior year; and was a consensus All-American selection in 1949-50, the first Vanderbilt player to receive All-American recognition.

Following his graduation from Vanderbilt University, where he maintained a 3.1 GPA in the College of Engineering, Adcock was drafted by the Minneapolis Lakers (now the Los Angeles Lakers).

One of Adcock's most memorable college experiences took place his senior year when Kentucky Coach Adolph Rupp told Adcock's father following a game, "I'd gladly swap my entire squad for your son."