Auburn All-American Charles Barkley To be inducted to Hall of Fame Sunday

[AUSportTalk 4]

Auburn All-American Charles Barkley To Be Inducted Into National

Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Sunday

    KANSAS CITY, Mo.**Former Auburn All-American Charles Barkley

will be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame

Sunday at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.  The Hall*s third

induction class will also include Kansas All-American Danny Manning,

coaches Nolan Richardson and Jim Phelan, broadcasters Dick Vitale and

Billy Packer and former collegiate player and executive Arnie Ferrin.

    Barkley was the first player from the state of Alabama to be

inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in

Springfield, Mass, in 2006.  He is a member of  Auburn*s All-Century

team, had his No. 34 Auburn jersey retired Mar. 3, 2001, was a

second-team All-America selection as a junior in 1983-84 and was the AP

and UPI SEC Player of the Year.

    *Auburn gave me an opportunity to be successful,* Barkley

said. *I will appreciate that always. I think basketball has given me

every single thing in my life. I have never had a real job, and

hopefully I will never have to get one.*

    The Leeds, Ala., native was a three-time All-SEC pick and the

1984 SEC Tournament MVP, led the SEC in rebounding three straight years

and still holds the Auburn career field goal pct. record (.626).

Barkley was the fifth pick overall in the 1984 NBA Draft by the

Philadelphia 76ers and is a one of the NBA*s All-Time 50 Greatest

Players. He won two gold medals with the United States in the 1992 and

1996 Summer Olympics.

    *I want to thank my college coach (Sonny Smith) and my

teammates and in the NBA,* Barkley said.  *I would like to thank

Moses Malone and Dr. J. (Julius Erving) because they were great. The two

guys who taught me the most about basketball, playing, were Adrian

Dantley and John Drew. They taught me how to play against bigger guys

because when you are 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6, you can*t post big guys

up.*

    Barkley was selected to 11 NBA All-Star games as well as the

All-NBA First Team five times and the All-NBA Second Team five times.

During his 16-year NBA career with the 76ers (1984-92), Phoenix Suns

(1992-96) and Houston Rockets (1996-2000), he averaged 22.1 points and

almost 12 rebounds per game.  He shares the single game record for most

offensive rebounds in one quarter (11 in 1987).

    Manning was the consensus player of the year at Kansas when he

led the Jayhawks to the 1988 NCAA Championship in Kansas City.

Richardson is the only coach to win a national junior college title, a

postseason NIT crown and the 1994 NCAA Championship with Arkansas while

Jim Phelan coached Mt. St. Mary*s College to an 830-511 record in

1,341 games.  Packer worked 28 consecutive Final Fours for CBS Sports

and 34 overall while Dick Vitale joined ESPN when it started in 1979 and

has been the network*s top analyst since.  Arnie Ferrin is the only

four-time men*s basketball All-America at Utah who led the Utes to the

1944 NCAA title.

    Presentations for each category will be delivered by three

National  Championship coaches in Bob Knight, John Thompson and Bill

Self.  The hosts for the Induction Ceremony will be ESPN sportscaster

Dan Shulman and CBS Sports commentator, Seth Davis.