Hall of Fame
After serving his nation in the military during World War II, Earl "Smiley" Dodd, like 1984 Hall of Fame inductee Harry Gallatin, as well as Ralph Pink, former university faculty member and coach, and several other standouts, was recruited by Boyd King, then Bulldog coach to play here. Before the war, Mr. Dodd was a basketball standout at Wood River (Ill.) High School. As a Bulldog, he became a vital cog on three teams that compiled a cumulative record of 76-15 between 1946-49. The 1946-47 and 1947-48 squads considered by most observers as the strongest teams the school has ever produced, posted a cumulative record of 59-4 and competed in the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City. Mr. Dodd was a first team All-MIAA forward those two years. He just might have been one of the best all-around players to ever wear the purple and white basketball uniform. After graduation in 1949 with a B.S.E., he played professional basketball for the Denver Nuggets one year and traveled with the Vagabond King team for five years. Until his retirement about eight years ago, Mr. Dodd worked for several construction companies for thirty years.
