Bob Horvath (1983) - Hall of Fame - University of Akron Athletics

Bob Horvath

Induction:
1983
Class:
1953

1950-53
Basketball
Guard
‘53
Bob Horvath gave up a shot at organized baseball to play basketball and baseball on the collegiate level, and head coach Russ Beichly was glad he did. Horvath played a guard on the 1950-53 cage teams and was a shortstop, third baseman and outfielder, 1951-53 for Beichly. An All-City guard in 1948 on Garfield’s undefeated team, Horvath joined the Zips after a stint in the U.S. Army. That first season he finished one point behind the Zips’ top scorer, Earl Wolfe with 295 points. As co-captain along with Leo Nixon in 1951-52, the 6-1 clever ball handler again finished second in scoring. Horvath netted 333 points, second to Hall of Famer Jim “Red” Fenton’s 410 points. During that junior campaign, which was plagued by seven forfeited games, Horvath scored a career high 28 points in the loss to Cast Tech however, it was a game as a senior that remains the most memorable for Horvath. Noted for his coolness under fire, Horvath netted 26 points to help give UA an 81-73 victory over Kent State—the first in three seasons over the Golden Flashes. That seasons, team captain Horvath scored 356 points, third to Fenton’s 527 points and Mike Harkins’, another Hall of Famer, 409 points. En route to a 17-7 record including 12 consecutive wins, the Zip trio led the Zips to the unofficial Ohio Conference crown with a 10-1 record. Horvath’s 984 career points place him fifth on UA’s all-time career scoring list. Horvath moved to Florida shortly after receiving his degree in 1953. Hoe a resident of Miami, Fla., Horvath has been involved with the new and used car business for over 30 years.