Z.G. Clevenger Award (and my cousin!)

[mamasa]

Mods, please feel free to put this wherever it belongs (it's about IU basketball, but not current, lol).  Kim Kohlmeier is my cousin, first person to introduce me to Coach Knight.  Very proud of him in this honor, as it's the highest honor for I-Men!  Buckner, Laz, Landon Turner, Slick Leonard, George Taliaferro, etc. are recipients in the past!

 

Z.G. Clevenger Award

The Z.G. Clevenger Award is presented to living I-Men who, as alumni, have made outstanding contributions to Indiana University through service to its athletics program.

Clevenger, a coach and athletic director, was characterized by his commitment to excellence, high ideals, and principles. He was devoted to his staff and worked untiringly to assist the coaches in developing their programs and establishing high ethical standards.

The award perpetuates the ideals Clevenger set forth in his many years of service as a student, athlete, coach, and athletics administrator. The honor is bestowed upon living I-Men who, as alumni, have made outstanding contributions through service to its athletics program. This is the highest honor given an I-Man by the I-Men’s Association.

Kim Kohlmeier

Kim Kohlmeier had a ringside seat for IU’s undefeated national-champion basketball season, serving as senior manager for the Hoosiers.

He earned letters as a basketball manager all four years at IU. He earned his bachelor’s degree in 1977 from the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Kohlmeier has maintained a strong IU connection, serving on the I Association board of directors from 1988 to 2015. He also volunteers for the Monroe County chapter of the IU Alumni Association.

He is regional sales manager for FlexPac. He has also worked for Cummins, Xerox and HP. Kohlmeier lives in Bloomington.

[Class of '66 Old Fart]

Kudos to your cousin and family members.  Truly an honor.

[Dalton26]

That’s awesome. [emoji1303]


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[Josh]

Seeing the title, I thought Zora Clevenger himself was your cousin.  Then I thought you must be a million years old.  

 

Welcome back mamasa.  I really missed what you bring to this board.  You help me follow multiple IU sports.

[mamasa]

Seeing the title, I thought Zora Clevenger himself was your cousin.  Then I thought you must be a million years old.  
 
Welcome back mamasa.  I really missed what you bring to this board.  You help me follow multiple IU sports.

Thanks Josh! Glad to have others to share it with!


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[mamasa]

Had to post something in this- @cleeter messaged me a little while ago, asked if I was related to the Kohlmeiers (turns out cleeter knows my cousin!).  After a really nice chat, I shared a story about Kim, which relates to coach Knight (I copied this story from a newspaper article a few years ago):

Kim Kohlmeier, a 6-foot-3 ball handler and team captain, was driving his Volkswagen in Milan when he collided with another vehicle.

His VW was torn in half. Among the multiple injuries that Kohlmeier suffered was a broken right leg that would keep him in a cast for 18 months.

During the semistate final against Richmond, in the tight final minute, Kohlmeier, dressed in street clothes, gestured toward official Gary Muncie. Muncie hit him with a technical, giving Richmond free throws, the ball and, essentially, the game and a berth in the semistate championship.

"Kim was not the most popular person in Milan that day," Veldhaus said.

Muncie eventually moved on to officiate in the Big Ten. Kohlmeier became a student manager for Indiana University coach Bobby Knight. The first time Muncie officiated a Hoosiers' game, Knight turned to Kohlmeier, sitting behind the bench.

"Is that the son of a ***** who called the technical on you?" Knight said.

Knight, Kohlmeier recalled, began "ranting and raving" at the official every time he passed him. After several trips of abuse, Muncie whistled Knight for a technical.

"Now," Knight asked Kim, "does that make you feel better?"

[mamasa]

Updating this long gone thread- my cousin Kim Kohlmeier passed away this morning after a long battle with several issues. While sad, I have been very impressed with the Hoosier family. As soon as the family was called, the next call was to Kent Benson, who said that he would start getting everyone together from the teams Kim managed.  Really happy to see that those bonds made in the early to mid 70s are still strong! Not meant to be a sad post at all, just happy that I'm part of such an incredible Hoosier family