WKU Athletics Hall of Famer Harry Todd passes away
WKU Athletics Press Release
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Harry Todd, a former WKU Men’s Basketball standout, Kentucky’s 1958 Mr. Basketball and a member of the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame, passed away on Friday, Feb. 13, at Mercy Health Lourdes Hospital in Paducah, Kentucky. He was 87 years old.
Todd was one of the most dominant post players of his era and a cornerstone of Hilltopper Basketball during the late 1950s and early 1960s. Playing for Head Coach E.A. Diddle from 1959-62, Todd developed into a powerful inside presence known for his rebounding ability, toughness and scoring touch around the rim, ultimately earning induction into five different basketball halls of fame over the course of his life.
A native of Earlington, Kentucky, Todd arrived on The Hill after an outstanding high school career at Earlington High School, where he earned All-State honors three straight seasons and Mr. Basketball recognition in 1958. The 6-foot-8 star finished his prep career as the state’s all-time leading rebounder and later helped found and serve as the first president of the Kentucky Mr. Basketball Fraternity, further cementing his legacy in the commonwealth’s high school basketball tradition.
During Todd’s three varsity seasons, WKU enjoyed one of the most successful stretches in program history. He helped the 1959-60 Hilltoppers capture the Ohio Valley Conference Championship and advance to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, followed by the 1960-61 team earning a share of the OVC title as co-champions and the 1961-62 squad again winning the league and reaching the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16.
An All-OVC selection in both 1960-61 and 1961-62, Todd cemented his place as one of the premier frontcourt players in Hilltopper history. He led WKU in rebounding in each of his three varsity seasons and is one of only six Hilltoppers on record to average a double-double in three or more seasons, finishing his career with 924 rebounds to rank eighth in program history.
In 1962, Todd was selected in the NBA Draft by the St. Louis Hawks and was also drafted into the U.S. Army the same year. His military career spanned 30 years and multiple overseas assignments, and he retired in 1991 as the Garrison Command Sergeant Major at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, a highly decorated combat veteran whose awards numbered in the dozens, including the Silver Star, multiple Bronze Stars and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm.
During the early 1970s, Todd continued to represent his country on the court by playing basketball internationally for U.S. military teams. After retiring from the Army, he made his home in Trigg County beginning in 1991, serving 12 years as the Kentucky representative on the Retirees Services Council for Kentucky and Tennessee and later as a state vice president of the Noncommissioned Officers Association, while also being elected national president of the 101st Airborne Division Association in 1991.
Todd later continued his service to others through community leadership and tourism work in Trigg County, extending his impact beyond basketball. He also answered a call to ministry in the United Methodist Church, completing lay and ministerial training and serving in several church roles, including as a pastor and active church member.
In the fall of 2025, Todd was selected for the Kentucky Veterans Hall of Fame, becoming the first Trigg County resident to receive the honor and reflecting a life of distinguished military and civic service. He was inducted into the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022, formally recognizing his place among the program’s all-time greats and his lasting influence on Hilltopper Basketball.
Visitation will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 18, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. CT at King’s Funeral Home in Cadiz, followed by a funeral service at 12 p.m. CT. Burial with military honors will follow at Odd Fellows Cemetery in Madisonville, Kentucky.
