As a Lynx basketball player from 1979-1983, Tim O’Keefe possessed all the attributes one looks for in a great player. Head Coach Herb Hilgeman said, “Tim is the best athlete I’ve coached at Rhodes. He could score from inside or outside, and ranks as one of the top defenders I’ve ever coached.” Tim O’Keefe had the total package!
Tim was named All College Athletic Conference Most Valuable Player for the 1981-82 and 1982-83 seasons, in addition to being selected the team MVP for the same seasons. During his sophomore, junior and senior seasons he was voted to the All College Athletic Conference and National Association of Basketball Coaches All South Region teams. Tim served as a Co-Captain of the 1981-82 and 1982-83 Lynx squads.
With Tim O’Keefe in the starting line-up, Southwestern won the 1979-80 and 1980-81 College Athletic Conference Championships. The Lynx also made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division III National Tournament those same two years.
When Tim wasn’t in class, practice or thrilling the home crowd in Mallory Gym, he was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Mortar Board and Accounting Society.
He served as a resident adviser for three years and was tapped by the Omicron Delta Society for his academic achievement and leadership on campus. At the completion of his senior year, Tim received the Seidman Award, the college’s highest academic-athletic honor.
Tim O’Keefe not only had the total package in basketball, he possessed the academic, athletic and leadership characteristics to which all Rhodes students aspire. In recognition of the excellence he brought to all aspects of student life, Rhodes is honored to induct TIMOTHY GERARD O’KEEFE into the Rhodes Athletic Hall of Fame, this 10th day of October, 2003.
