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Bob Drake (kneeling left)
Basketball
(1968-1971)
Jack Powell
(standing)
Head Basketball Coach
(1966-1972)
Jack Powell guided the UWA
men's basketball team for five seasons, leading the Tigers to a
67-57 record, including a 21-4 mark in 1970-71, a mark that
still stands as the most single-season wins in West Alabama
history. Powell, known by friend and foe alike as the ultimate
gentleman, was named Coach of the Year in the Alabama Collegiate
Conference and earned Coach of the Year honors from Alabama
Small Colleges and Universities as well as NAIA District 27. He
was also chosen Coach of the Year in the Gulf South Conference
for 1971-72. The Tigers won the ACC crown in 1971 and 1972, and
were beaten in the NAIA District 27 finals both seasons.
Bob Drake was an All-American
on the 1970-71 UWA Basketball team coached by Powell. He served
two years as the Tiger Team Captain and was an All-ACC
selection. He made the All-ACC Tournament Team twice and was
chosen for the All-Alabama Small College Team. He averaged 21.1
points per game in his senior campaign and made 166-of-205 free
throws that season, which still stands as the second highest
total for free throws made in a season at UWA. Drake posted two
40-point games as a senior, and was known for his high-arching,
left-handed shot that would have set almost unbreakable scoring
records had there been a three-point shot at that time. |
