#513 Hoops and Jumps for a Hundred Years - Featuring Dr. Herb Wilkinson

Huntsman World Senior Games Active Life

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Dr. Herbert (Herb) Wilkinson, father of 5 and grandfather of 24, was born in December of 1923 and is 100 years old. Born and raised in Hurricane, Utah, where his father was the town’s first family physician, Herb developed a strong competitive spirit and excelled as an oral surgeon. As a freshman at the University of Utah, he helped win the 1944 NCAA National Basketball Championship, scoring the game-winning basket in overtime. He then transferred to Iowa, winning three consecutive Big Ten titles and earning All-American honors each season. Herb was also an accomplished high jumper, placing fourth in the 1945 NCAA Track and Field Championships. Despite an offer to play basketball professionally with the Minneapolis Lakers, Herb declined due to a conflict with playing on Sundays, instead choosing to serve a mission in England for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In more recent years, he has excelled as a Masters athlete, earning numerous medals in high jump, long jump, and throwing events at the Huntsman World Senior Games. Last year alone, Herb competed and won 4 silver medals despite being the oldest in his age group, and this year, he was in a class all his own.