Birdsong was announced Wednesday morning as part of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame’s 2018 class, which features six former standout players and a pair of decorated former coaches. He joins Arkansas’ Sidney Moncrief, Arizona’s Sean Elliott, North Carolina’s Sam Perkins, Morgan State’s Marvin Webster, USC’s Paul Westphal, former Charleston Coach John Kresse and former Oregon Tech Coach Danny Miles.
The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is located inside the College Basketball Experience (CBE), a world-class experiential entertainment facility adjacent to Kansas City’s Sprint Center. The Hall of Fame’s 13th induction celebration will be held Nov. 18 in Kansas City.
Birdsong became the third Cougar to earn membership in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, joining Elvin Hayes (2013) and Coach Guy V. Lewis (2007).
Otis was an elite player at UH and went on to play in the pros for several years. He is a great person, a great Cougar…he was perhaps the smoothest guard I have seen at UH…he could float down the lane get off that jumper on a dime…
Otis is the greatest Coog no one talks about. His collegiate career was between Big E and Phi Slamma Jamma. His pro career was with a very bad Nets franchise.
I saw Otis, he was as good as anyone we ever had o this campus…
Birdsong was the University of Houston’s best player between the Final Four eras of Elvin Hayes and Hakeem Olajuwon. As a senior, Birdsong averaged 30.3 points and was chosen as the top player in the Southwest Conference and a consensus All-American.
The Kings made Birdsong the second overall pick in the 1977 NBA Draft. In his second season, Birdsong was the team’s leading scorer at 21.7 points and led the Cotton Fitzimmons-coached Kings to their only division title.
I remember a Kings team, featuring Phil Ford, Scott Wedman, Sam Lacy, and led by Otis, losing to a Rockets team led by Moses Malone and “4 other guys”, in game 7 of the 1981 Western Conference Finals. Birdsong was such an elegant player it was hard to see him lose, even though I was pulling for the Rockets.
I put Clyde slightly ahead of Otis. Otis had a much better jump shot than Clyde and they were equals driving to the hoop. Drexler could play defense and rebound better. He distributed the ball better but he did have a better cast around him, so he had more opportunities for assists and took less shots than Birdsong who basically put the team on his shoulders. E, Dream, Clyde, Otis.
For their pro careers I would agree, but as a college player I have to go with Birdsong…Otis could drive as good as any player we ever had here. And he could drive, step on a dime and shoot. Clyde was really good the three years he was here, but frankly he was never a good shooter. He picked that up in the pros which made him one of the greatest to ever play…
We should honor Birdsong at the first game in the Fertitta Center since this election is new. I hope we have a re-hanging of the jerseys that have been honored in Hofheinz. Or we could spread them out over the season. Put together a highlight reel and introduce our proud history to our younger fans.
Birdsong’s last college basketball game was 41 years ago, and he still ranks No. 15 all-time in NCAA Division-I scoring with 2,832 points, 52 points fewer than Hayes’ school record.
Sunday in Kansas City, Birdsong’s greatness will be acknowledged when he is inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, joining Hayes, Drexler, and his college coach Lewis.
“I knew how great he was, and I’m glad his peers and college coaches are recognizing it by finally putting him into Hall, because he earned it,” Perry said.
