The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Dotson to be inducted into San Antonio ISD Athletic Hall of Fame
08.11.2023 | Men's Basketball, T-Association
Former Men’s Basketball standout and Texas Athletics Hall of Honor member Ovie Dotson to be enshrined on Saturday afternoon.
SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Former University of Texas Men's Basketball standout Ovie Dotson will be inducted into the ninth annual San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, August 12. Dotson is one of six honorees who will be honored at a ceremony beginning at 3:30 p.m. Central at the Alamo Convocation Center.
Tickets for the event are available for $40 per person or a table of eight will cost $320. To purchase tickets, please click the following link.
In addition to Dotson, the Class of 2023 includes: Jaime Garza (Football, Jefferson HS), Bohn Hilliard Jr. (Stadium Announcer, Brackenridge HS), Adrian Montoya (Swimming, Highlands HS), De Celle Thomas (Basketball, Brackenridge HS) and the 1968 Highlands High School Baseball Team.
Dotson, a 1975 alum of Sam Houston High School, was a two-time all-district and all-city selection on the basketball court. A three-year letterman in high school, he averaged 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game over his high school career. Dotson went on to play at The University of Texas for four years (1976-79) and helped lead the Longhorns to a pair of Southwest Conference championships. He also was a part of the Texas Basketball team that won the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title in 1978, when the significance of that event was far greater since the NCAA only took 32 teams in that era's version of March Madness.
One of only a handful of Black players at UT in the mid-1970s, Dotson's leaping ability and super-human "dunks" were part of a golden age of Longhorn basketball. He was recruited and coached in his freshman season by Leon Black before being tutored by Hall of Fame coach Abe Lemons in his final three years.
Dotson went on to become a member of the Harlem Globetrotters. Beginning in 1980, Dotson would lead the famed traveling ambassadors of goodwill on to the court for eight seasons, starting each game and playing in more than 100 countries around the world while entertaining crowds with his spectacular soaring slam dunks. Dotson was inducted into the Texas Athletics Hall of Honor in 2022.
