Oakland men's basketball coach Greg Kampe has been elected to the 2017 Michigan Sports Hall of Fame (MSHOF), joining Mitch Albom, Jon Jansen, Jim Leyland, Dean Look, Andre Rison, Dennis Rodman and Jalen Rose. The induction ceremony will happen on Friday, Sept. 15 at Max M. Fisher Music Center in downtown Detroit.
Kampe just completed his 33rd season as head coach of the Golden Grizzlies, capturing the Horizon League regular season title in just their fourth season in the conference. Oakland became eligible for NCAA postseason play in 2002, making three NCAA tournaments in 2005, '10 and '11, and earned postseason appearances in eight of the last nine seasons. The Golden Grizzlies came back from 20 points down in the second half to win at Clemson in the opening round of the NIT this past season.
Kampe trails Syracuse's Jim Boeheim (41 seasons) and Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (37 seasons) for longevity at one school at the Division I level. He has led Oakland to 583 wins, 17th among active D1 coaches, and is a five-time conference coach of the year.
Oakland has produced three NBA players in Rawle Marshall (Dallas and Indiana), Keith Benson (Golden State) and Kay Felder (Cleveland) since 2005. Felder became the first player in program history to forgo his senior season and was taken in the second round by the Atlanta Hawks in 2016, before being traded to the Cavaliers for cash considerations.
Coach Kampe has dedicated a lot of his free time to charity and non-profit organizations throughout the community. He has helped the American Cancer Society raise over $400,000, spent time as a volunteer coach for eight days at Camp Arifjan-Kuwait leading a military team, helped with Boys and Girls Club of America, raised awareness for the Oakland County Shelter for Women in Need, and spends countless hours with Beyond Basics, education of inner city kids.
For his efforts in the local community, Kampe was named the 2016 Sparky Anderson Community Excellence Award recipient by the CATCH organization. This award, named after the late CATCH Founder Sparky Anderson, is presented to an individual who has excelled in their professional field, while making a significant impact with charities throughout the community.
Kampe was named 2000 National Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com after leading the Golden Grizzlies to the Mid-Con regular season title in their first season of Division I competition in 1999-2000. Oakland captured three regular season and tournament titles in the Mid-Con/Summit League, before leaving for the Horizon League in 2013, capturing the regular season title in 2016-17 after winning their final nine regular season games.
Oakland holds the state's best league record over the last 11 years, winning 71.3 percent of its conference games (134-54), followed by Michigan State's 66.8 percent (131-65) and Western Michigan's 57.6 percent (106-78). The three NCAA tournament appearances since 2005 are the third-most among state D1 schools, behind Michigan State (13) and Michigan (7).
Kampe joins Oakland swimming and diving head coach Pete Hovland in the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. Hovland has won 39 consecutive men's swimming and diving championships and was elected to the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
2017 MSHOF CLASS
- Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press columnist and Best-Selling Author
- Jon Jansen, University of Michigan / Washington Redskins and Detroit Lions
- Greg Kampe, Oakland University men's basketball coach (1984-Present)
- Jim Leyland, Detroit Tigers manager (2006-13)
- Dean Look, Michigan State / New York Titans (AFL) and longtime NFL official
- Andre Rison, Michigan State / NFL player from 1989-2000, mainstay with Atlanta Falcons (1990-94)
- Dennis Rodman, Southeastern Oklahoma State / Detroit Pistons (1986-93)
- Jalen Rose, University of Michigan / NBA player from 1994-2007, mainstay with Indiana Pacers (1996-2002)