Bud Ogden, with former teammate Dennis Awtrey, left, points to

GILROY—It’s been nearly 46 years since Gilroy resident Carlos C. “Bud” Odgen Jr. suited up for the Santa Clara University Broncos men’s basketball team. Even though nearly five decades have passed, he is still recognized as one of the greatest to ever wear the uniform. And on Saturday, he’ll take his place among the West Coast Conference’s finest.
Odgen is among 10 individuals being inducted into the WCC’s Hall of Honor Saturday at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas. This is the seventh class of inductees entering the hall and is part of the 2015 WCC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships.
“Tears to came to my eyes; it was very emotional,” Ogden said upon receiving word he’d be inducted. “I didn’t anticipate. I knew of the Hall of Honor, but it blindsided me.”
He is joining other SCU greats already inducted into the Hall of Honor, such as Brandi Chastain (Women’s soccer, inducted 2010), Carroll Williams (Men’s Basketball/Athletic Director, inducted 2009), Kurt Rambis (Men’s Basketball, included 2012) and Dennis Awtrey (Men’s Basketball, inducted 2011).
Odgen was an integral part of the 1966-1969 Broncos team, which had one of the most successful runs in the programs’ history and made two NCAA tournament appearances. The small forward earned WCC All-Conference First Team honors in 1968 and 1969 and was named an All-American selection in 1969 by Helms Foundation and United States Basketball Writers Association for leading the Broncos to a No. 3 national ranking.
The SCU great scored 55 points against Pepperdine University in 1967, a performance that still ranks amongst the best by a Broncos player. Odgen also holds three team records for most points in a half (35), most points by a sophomore (55) and most field goals scored in a single game (24). He was part of the 1968-69 team that holds the record for the most wins in a season with 27 and is ranked 14th in program history for his 1,437 points scored during his collegiate career. Odgen is also 10th all-time in rebounds with 694.
Odgen was the 13th pick of the 1969 NBA draft and was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers. He played two seasons with them from 1969-1971. He was also drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in 1968, but chose to return to SCU for his senior season. But it was during his time with the Broncos, he said, that he learned some of his most valued life lessons.
“I learned a lot of work ethic in the classroom and I was always a hard worker on the basketball and athletic fields,” he said. “(I learned about) hard work and work ethic and determination and fairness and always being as above board and as ethical as I or my team could be.”
Ogden used these lessons in his coaching career, including when he coached at Gilroy High from 2000-2006. During his time at GHS, he helped the Mustangs win a Tri-County Athletic League Championship in the 2005-2006 season. 
And Ogden fully understands the impact a good coach can have, crediting his own success to Jack Richards, who coached him at Abraham Lincoln High School in San Jose. He also recognizes Dick Garibaldi, the head coach at SCU during his playing days, and Williams, the winningest coach in Broncos history.
But there’s one man Odgen is grateful for above all else: his father, Carlos Ogden Sr.
“He was the ultimate coach,” he said. “He taught me to be hard-nosed and to never give up.”

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