By Okon Ekpenyong

On November 14, 2025, Governor Mike DeWine joined Ohio State President Ted Carter, Athletic Director Ross Bjork, and other Buckeyes officials and alums in unveiling the statue of OSU Basketball legend and Hall of Famer Jerry Lucas outside the northwest rotunda of the Schottenstein Center, near the basketball practice facilities. 

Lucas is now the fourth OSU legend to have a bronze statue on campus, joining Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens, legendary football coach Woody Hayes, and two-time Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin.

While playing for the Buckeyes, he led the team to three consecutive NCAA Championship Games from 1960 to 1962, clinching the school’s only men’s basketball title in 1960. He was a three-time All-American and earned the title of National Player of the Year in both 1961 and 1962.

To celebrate this achievement, Lucas will ring the victory bell during the Ohio State football game against UCLA on Saturday, November 15. Lucas will dot the “I” on the basketball court during the Sunday game against Notre Dame at Schottenstein Center.

Governor DeWine reminisces about his days in grade school in Yellow Springs, recalling how Jerry Lucas was the talk of the town—and still is. He remembers watching Lucas play for Ohio State on Dayton television during his junior high years and later having the chance to meet him in Gallipolis. The Governor expresses his admiration for Lucas, highlighting not just his remarkable achievements on the court but also off it. 

He was one of several speakers who shared heartfelt reflections on what Lucas has meant to the university, the basketball program, the game itself, and his enduring legacy in the State of Ohio. The Ohio State community will forever celebrate Lucas as one of the greatest to ever play the game, especially during the unveiling ceremony.

More than 150 schools were vying for Lucas’s talent, but he ultimately chose Ohio State because of its strong academics, as one of the speakers pointed out. Lucas even mentioned that he was the kind of person who would remember everything — from the number of books in the library to the number of cracks he spotted on the road that needed fixing — which got a laugh from the crowd.

After college, he achieved success playing professionally first for the Cincinnati Royals and the San Francisco Warriors. He spent his final years with the New York Knicks, helping the team win a championship in 1973. At that time, he became the first player to win a high school state title, an NCAA title, an Olympic gold medal, and a professional championship.

Darwyn Allen of Columbus stated that what stood out to me today at the unveiling of the Jerry Lucas statue was that Jerry Lucas was bold in his public acknowledgment of Jesus.

“He stated from an early age the power of activating the power of his mind from his 4th-grade Teacher.” 

Allen continued that Luca’s dedication to being a genuine friend and teammate was very important to him. “What you do in your pursuit to help and uplift others will matter most in life,” Lucas said. He also shared that his greatest accomplishment, other than being a family man, was memorizing the entire New Testament of the Bible. 

Lucas’s legacy extends far beyond his physical prowess; it illustrates the enduring power of determination, faith, and an unwavering commitment to lifting others.

Furthermore, those who have followed his journey closely and who came to the unveiling or were introduced to him for the first time were reminded that greatness is not just defined by achievements alone, but when the community is talking about you since your days in Middleton, Ohio, following your journey, it has a lasting impact on other people’s lives.

Support the New Americans magazine to continue to serve our community with precise news that affect the new American, immigrant and refugee community. https://paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8LHFS78NRNJJY&source=url