Hall of Fame
Ray Basinger did not start during the season-opening kickoff of his freshman year, but he seldom left the field after that. The quick, 6-foot-2, 215-pound tackle from Hartford, Ark., was a force on both sides of the ball in his four years at Ozarks. Recruited out of high school by such major programs as Tulane and the University of Arkansas, Basinger overcame a nagging knee injury early in his career to become one of the top linemen in the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference. The four-year starter earned AIC Lineman of the Year honors in 1953 and helped the Mountaineers go a combined 10-4-2 in 1952 and 1953. He went on to a successful 36-year coaching career, including a 21-year stint as the head football coach at Caprock High School in Amarillo, Texas. He and his wife, Mary Ann, have been married more than 50 years.
