No. 4 - Oliphant to be honored by Hall

Friday, December 30, 2011
Elmer Oliphant is shown wearing his Purdue University basketball uniform. He is a 1914 graduate of Purdue and a 1910 graduate of Linton High School.(Submitted photo)

Oliphant to be honor by Hall

Linton High School graduate (1910) Elmer Oliphant, who was born July 9, 1992 in Bloomfield and went to school at Washington, will be honored in 2012 by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

This was voted as the No. 4 sports story of 2011 by the Greene County Daily World.

Oliphant, who moved to Linton for the 1908-09 school year, will be honored as a recipient of the second-annual Centennial Award, presented to individuals who made contributions 100 or more years ago. It carries the weight of a Hall of Fame induction.

Oliphant was a two-time All-American and All-Big Ten selection and won a total of seven varsity letters competing in basketball, football, baseball, track, wrestling and swimming at Purdue.

Players become eligible for the Hall of Fame 25 years after graduation from high school. Coaches, journalists, administrators and businessmen comprise a board of directors that oversees the selection process each year.

John Garrett of Purdue (1973-75) and Oliphant will give Purdue 75 members in the Hall of Fame, which is located in New Castle.

Oliphant, who also participated on Linton's 1910 state champion track and field team, and his family moved back to Greene County after his father's business partner stole $62,000.

Oliphant worked part-time in the coal mines in the area to help with family finances.

He was better known for his exploits on the football field, at Linton, Purdue and later at West Point, where he received a commission.

During his senior year at Linton, he scored eight touchdown and kicked 20 extra points in a 125-0 win over Sullivan.

During his playing days, Oliphant was 5-7 and weighed 174 pounds.

He still holds football records at both Purdue and for the Army.

He has been inducted into several Halls of Fame, the last before this was in 2004 when he was in the inaugural group of 16 inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame at West Point.

The Football Writers of America in 1969 voted Oliphant to the Early-Day All-Time All-America Team (1869 to 1919).

(The Purdue Exponent and Wikipedia provided information for this story.