(Peru, Neb.) – The 1947-48 Men's Basketball Team is the 23rd of 84 individuals and/or teams being recognized as part of the lead up to the 31^st Peru State Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.
 
As Nebraska and Peru State are both celebrating their 150^th birthdays, the College is also hosting special events throughout the year. The next big event on campus will be the Peru State Athletic Hall of Fame banquet which will take place on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 22 and 23.
 
As a lead up to the upcoming Hall of Fame event, the 84 individuals and/or teams will be recognized on a daily basis with one noted on each of the 84 days prior to the event.
The inscription on 1947-48 Men's Basketball Team's plaque which is exhibited in the upper lobby of the Al Wheeler Activity Center reads as follows: "One of the best, if not the best, displays of the "team" concept in Peru State College Sports history was exhibited by the 1947-48 basketball squad. The Bobcats, with only four returning letter winners and two upperclassmen, were considered a year or two away from state contention. But they blended a combination of balance and depth with the skill of first-year Coach Newt Kyle to far exceed all expectations. Among the highlights of their 20-3 season was a school-record win total, and tourney crowns at the York Invitational and the Nebraska College Conference. From mid-January to mid-February they reeled off 13 straight victories, propelling them to NAIB (later NAIA) national tournament in Kansas City for the fourth time in five years. The 1947-48 basketball squad, which laid the foundation for the successes which followed in the next three seasons, becomes the fourth Hall of Fame entry under the "team" category."
 
In the national tournament, the luck of the draw pitted the Bobcats against the defending champion, Marshall Colllege, in the first round of the N.A.I.B. tournament at Kansas City. The Big Green featured a lightning fast break that swept past the "Kylemen" 72-53.
 
Members of the team included Merle Bauer and Jack Hallstrom – both of whom gained spots on the World-Herald all-conference team. Others on the team included Omar Meeker, George Eilers, Tom Hallstrom, Lloyd Buettgenbach, Bill Vossen, Bill Johnson, Bill Sweeney, Al Powers, and Art Clements. Others on the team included Curtis Olsen, Lyle Meier, Bill Thurman, Roy Meinen, Darrell Mudra, and Charles Brewer. The assistant coach was Al Wheeler.
 
The 1947-48 Men's Basketball Team was inducted on September 14, 1991, as part of the seventh induction class into the Peru State Athletic Hall of Fame.