In 1960, I was blessed with a Vanneck Foundation academic scholarship that would have allowed me to go to any college or university in the country (for free); and I chose to go to Beloit College to study and try to play basketball. That choice has made all the difference for me as I have led a blessed and satisfying life for all these years.
I chose Beloit College because of its excellent academic reputation and because of its illustrious basketball history under Coach Dolph Stanley - and for the opportunity to be in on the beginning of a bright new era for Buccaneer basketball under Coach Bill Knapton. That era lasted 40 years and produced myriad successful teams, enhancing the college experience of a multitude of basketball players (including myself), and helping to set them on the path to happy and successful lives.
I have not only never regretted my choice of colleges, but I have been reminded countless times over the past nearly 60 years of how fortunate my choice had been. The unique combination of academic and athletic excellence that Beloit College afforded me; and the diverse group of professors, teammates and students who surrounded me and helped me to grow has redounded to my favor across the years to these very days – and for that I am profoundly grateful.
To this day, I count as some of my best friends, teammates with whom I played so many years ago; and what we all seem to have in common is that we are proud and grateful to have been Beloit College Buccaneers.
David Martin Hendricks, Beloit College Athletic Hall of Honor
- Class: 1964
- Induction: 2014
- Sport(s): Men's Basketball
David Hendricks felt he was fortunate to attend Beloit College by way of a scholarship at the end of his senior year at Cuba City High School. Once on campus he gave everything of himself to his studies as well as the Buccaneer Men’s Basketball team. After graduation he never stopped giving back to the College that helped him, in his words, “become a useful asset to society.” He was, and is, so much more than that. A four-year letter-winner for the Bucs, Hendricks was a three-time All-Midwest Conference selection and twice was the team’s MVP. A guard, he was just the fourth player in Beloit history to eclipse the 1,000 career-points mark and still ranks 16
th in program history with 1,013. His best season came as a junior when he finished third in the conference with 20.4 points-per-game. In his senior year he scored 50 points against the University of Chicago, which is still tied for third all-time in the Beloit record books. He earned Second Team All-State honors at the conclusion of that 1963-64 season. After graduation, Hendricks earned a Masters degree in Counseling from Northern Michigan University; taught German and Latin and coached at St. John’s School in Houston, to which he returned in 2010 as Athletic Director; and worked for over 20 years in direct mail and publishing. He has continued to support Beloit College over the years. He truly did become “a useful asset to society
