WKU Hilltopper Basketball is taking on the Lipscomb Bisons this afternoon at E.A. Diddle Arena. It’s being televised on ESPN+.
As is usually the case, there’s a Logan County Connection.
WKU stands at an even 1-1 all-time against Lipscomb in a series dating back to 1936. The matchup Sunday afternoon marks the first between the two programs since 1962 and the first-ever played in Bowling Green. The first two matchups took place in Nashville, with the Bisons winning in the teams’ last meeting, 75-68. Western Kentucky State Teachers College won the first on Jan. 6, 1936.
That game almost 63 years ago found the Bisons hosting the Toppers at newly built Municipal Auditorium in downtown Music City. This was the first basketball game ever in that building, which was the large-gathering showplace of Nashville long before Bridgestone Arena and Nissan Stadium came along.
The Toppers were coached by” Uncle Ed,” the legendary Ed Diddle, one of the most successful college basketball coaches in history at the time of his retirement. The gym in which today’s game is being played is named for him. Western Kentucky University was the dominant team in the NCAA Division I’s Ohio Valley Conference.
Lipscomb then was called David Lipscomb College and played in the Volunteer State Athletic Conference, a part of NAIA sports. The highly respected Charlie Morris coached DLC.
Mr. Diddle had lots of Logan County ties, including family living in the Adairville area, but the major Logan Connection was from Auburn. Johnny McCarley, who had been a star and a leader for the Auburn Tigers, was in the same role with the Bisons.
McCarley, who is a member of the Lipscomb Athletic Hall of Fame, not only played against Western, the school located about 12 miles from his home, but he led the Bisons to a win against the big-time program. He was the leading scorer for the Purple and Gold in the game.
McCarley came back to the Land of Logan as coach of the Russellville Panthers in the mid-60s before beginning a long career in administration. He was principal of Olmstead, Metcalfe County and Glasgow high schools and the headmaster of Goodpasture Christian School in Metro Nashville.
John McCarley was inducted into the Logan County Cougar Athletic Foundation Hall of Fame in January 2023.
Lipscomb now is not only an NCAA university, with the Bisons finishing as runner-up in the NIT a few years ago. The Lipscomb team which WKU is playing today has earned respect. WKU coach Hank Plona calls LU “an elite team.”
The preview released by WKU notes about Coach Lennie Acuff’s Bisons:
SCOUTING THE BISONS
- Lipscomb is coming off an 80-79 loss to Belmont on Tuesday night to fall to 2-2 overall for the year
- The Bisons are led by senior forward Jacob Ognacevi,c who averages 23.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per outing
- The Bisons were picked to win the ASUN after receiving eight first place votes in the preseason
- Ognacevic along with guard Will Pruitt were named to the preseason All-ASUN team
WKU secured its first win of the season with a 104-76 win over Campbellsville on Tuesday. The win marked the first for Plona as head coach for the Hilltoppers. Khristian Lander led the Tops in scoring with a career-best 23 points off 9-for-13 shooting from the field, as five different Hilltoppers charted in double figures to help WKU improve to 1-2 on the year.
Ronnie Clark honored
Johnny McCarley’s coach at Auburn High School was Ronnie Clark. He also became the Auburn principal. This weekend he received a major award from WKU during Homecoming Weekend.
The following is the WKU story about Coach Clark:
The Hon. Ronald “Ronnie” W. Clark (’57, ’60, ’64) has held leadership positions in education, athletics, publishing, banking and local government.
The Henderson, Ky., native played basketball for legendary WKU Coach E.A. Diddle, a position he orchestrated by calling the coach directly. After graduation, Ronnie began his career in education in Auburn, Ky., teaching and coaching at Auburn High School. He would eventually become Principal, helping to shepherd the school through integration in the late 1950s.
In 1962, he moved to Franklin, Ky., to be Principal of Franklin-Simpson High School. After four years, he began working in sales for Holt, Rinehart and Winston, a textbook publishing firm, where he would eventually become a Regional Manager responsible for five states.
In 1973, he joined the Franklin Bank & Trust Company Board of Directors where he was mentored by Leon Page (’43). He became an employee of Franklin Bank & Trust Company in 1979, and he went on to hold the positions of Senior Vice President, Executive Vice President, President and CEO. He retained his position on that Board until 2010.
Highly respected and trusted, Ronnie also served as Mayor of Franklin from 2011-2018. At the end of his term, he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Franklin-Simpson Chamber of Commerce in 2018.
Throughout his professional life, Ronnie has assisted his community in a variety of ways, including organizing local sports programs, holding a position on the Franklin Electric Plant Board and even serving on the WKU Board of Regents from 1973-1990. Ronnie was part of the inaugural class inducted into the Franklin-Simpson Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Henderson County High School Hall of Fame in 1992.
All from WKU, Ronnie holds a Bachelor of Science in Geography, a Master of Arts in Education and a Specialist degree in Education. Ronnie served in the U.S. Army Reserves 100th Division from 1958-1970, and he continued serving in the U.S. Army Reserves. He has always put others above himself, including the love and admiration he bestowed upon his beloved wife of 65 years, Joan Clark (’56, ’57).