Glenn Robinson

Despite all his hard work on the court, Robinson did not achieve a high enough score on the Scholastic Aptitude Test to qualify for an athletic scholarship. He entered Purdue University under Proposition 48, which allowed him to receive a scholarship provided he met the school's academic standards while sitting out his freshman year. Robinson honed his skills by playing against other future National Basketball Association (NBA) stars such as Tim Hardaway and Kevin Duckworth in the Malcolm X summer league in Chicago and he returned for his first season with the Boilermakers in top form.

While Robinson took the court by storm, finishing in the top ten in the conference in scoring, rebounding, steals, blocked shots, field goal percentage and free throw percentage, his team's overall performance was less stellar. The Boilermakers finished their season with an 18-10 record and were eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the first round.

Robinson had the option to turn pro after his sensational season, but he decided to stay another season at Purdue. He had both his team and himself in mind, Robinson explained in Sports Illustrated. He didn't want to leave his teammates in the lurch and he didn't feel he was mature enough for the big leagues. "I wasn't ready to go off into that big world yet," he explained. "Out there you have to be able to deal with girls, agents, people trying to give you drugs, all that stuff."

He led the team to a Big Ten championship and the NCAA tournament semifinals, where Purdue lost to Duke. The awards came pouring in. In addition to receiving the Naismith and Wooden awards, Robinson was named National College Basketball Player of the Year. Although he had a good chance at an NCAA championship if he stayed on, Robinson opted to enter the NBA draft, where he was the first pick. After being chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks, Robinson held out for a 10-year, $68.15 million contract, which he signed just one hour before the Bucks' first game of the season. The holdout was of such interest to the media that U.S. Senator Herb Kohl, who owns the Bucks, fielded questions about it during his campaign.