When Belmont College basketball phenom Joe Behling was honored in 1990 as Co-Amateur Athlete of the Year by the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, he was truly a dominant force in NAIA ball. At that point in his career, Behling had been named First-Team All-American twice and NAIA Player of the Year as a junior. Joe was also TCAC Player of the Year both seasons. The 6’7″ post player had set many NAIA records and still had his senior year ahead of him. He averaged 31.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game and had a .658 field goal and a .737 free throw percentage. Behling set the record as Belmont College’s all-time leading scorer and once had scored fifty-eight points in a game. His junior season, Joe was at one time the third leading scorer in the nation. That year, he led the Rebels to a 26-10 season, the highlights of which included the most wins ever for a Belmont team, the upset of number-one-ranked David Lipscomb in the semifinals of District 24 play, and Belmont’s first-ever trip to the NAIA National Championships in Kansas City. The biggest reason for such success was Joe Behling, one of the greatest basketball players in the history of Belmont University.
