(Basketball 1977-80)
Otis
Boddie led the University of North Alabama to the NCAA Division II
National Championship in basketball in 1979 and was one of the
top performers ever on the Division II level. In four years
with the Lions, from 1977-80, Boddie helped lead UNA to an 84-35
record that included three trips to the Division II Final Four. A
native of Florence, Boddie was named first-team All-American in 1980
after being an Honorable Mention All-American pick in 1979. He was a
three-time All-Gulf South Conference selection and was the GSC
Player of the Year in 1980.
Boddie closed his
career as the Lion's all-time leading scorer with 1,963 points and
an average of 16.8 points per game. He led UNA in scoring four
straight years and set four GSC and five UNA marks during his
career. He scored 485 points in 1977, 382 in 1978, 597 in 1979 and
499 in 1980. Those totals helped UNA to records of 24-7, 17-9,
22-9 and 21-10. Boddie scored a career-high 38 points against
Nicholls State in the 1979 NCAA Quarterfinals and scored 30 or more
points in a single game eight times during his career. After helping
take UNA to the 1979 National Championship with a 64-50 win over
Wisconsin-Green Bay, Boddie was injured in 1980 as UNA
approached the national tournaments.
He came off the bench to score
31 points in a come-from-behind win over Central Missouri State in
the South Central Region final and helped the Lions back to the
Final Four. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers of the National
Basketball Association.