The ultimate goal of any team on any level is simply to be the best; to win a championship. But hoping and dreaming of a title will only go so far. You must have the talent to get there. In the case of Lipscomb University’s 1985-1986 men’s basketball team, one need look no further than John Kimbrell. A native of Loretto, Tennessee, Kimbrell was a record-breaking star for the Bisons from 1983 to 1986. His final season, Kimbrell led his team to eighteen straight season-opening victories and their first-ever number-one national ranking. The Bisons lived up to that ranking when they captured the national championship, and Kimbrell was named the tournament’s most valuable player. No surprise that he was Lipscomb’s first ever N.A.I.A. First-Team All-American that year. Kimbrell was also selected as First-Team Volunteer State Athletic Conference, First-Team All-District, and the Bisons’ Most Valuable Player. On the international front, Kimbrell led the Bisons to a second place finish in the World Sports Fair at Tokyo, Japan. When Lipscomb University basketball fans think back on that sweet number-one season, no doubt they will see the image of John Kimbrell, the outstanding player who led the Bisons to the top of the mountain.
