HUNTINGTON, Ind.— Steve Platt, a beloved Huntington University
basketball star and coach, has been named the special ambassador for the president at the university.
In his role, Platt will assist the
Advancement Office as well as President G. Blair Dowden in fundraising efforts with a special emphasis on the capital campaign.
Through the $21 million
Together: The Campaign for Huntington University, $9.5 million is being raised to expand the Merillat Physical Education and Recreation Complex (MPERC); $1.5 million for the digital and visual arts programs; $3 million for the University Fund; and $2 million is planned to increase the university’s current endowment and $5 million is planned for deferred giving commitments.
Platt’s commitment to the university has been long-standing and continues to be evident through his new volunteer role.
“I have a real passion for Huntington University,” Platt said. “I’ve spent a lot of years being involved with HU, and I look forward to helping in any way I can.”
Platt graduated from Huntington in 1974 after taking the Foresters to a record of 78-38. He was a four-time selection as All-District Player of the Year and an NAIA All-American. He continues to hold school records, and remains Indiana’s all-time collegiate leader in scoring with 3,700 points. As the men’s basketball coach, he led the Foresters to 329 wins and a national championship run during the 2005-06 season. The following year the Foresters earned the top spot in the NAIA Division II national rankings for the first time in the program’s history.
In his years with Huntington, Platt was recognized by the Fort Wayne’s News-Sentinel as one of Northeast Indiana’s Top 50 Athletes of the Century. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996, the NAIA Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987 and was the first inductee of the Huntington University Hall of Fame in 1974. He was also a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team in 1990 and a Huntington College Centennial Medallion recipient in 1997. He was twice named the alumnus of the year in 1987 and 2003.