Norfolk State Legend Ralph Tally To Be Inducted Into Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame

The Spartans basketball legend will be enshrined once again.

Robert Tally / NSU Athletics

A Norfolk State great will be enshrined amongst a group of college basketball legends this fall, the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame announced on Saturday afternoon.

Norfolk State men's basketball All-American Ralph Tally, the program's all-time leading scorer, will be inducted into the Small College this November, one of 12 members of the 2024 class.

The 2024 Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame class is made up of seven former players, four coaches, and one contributor. The group includes Indiana State's Duane Klueh and Kentucky Wesleyan's Antonio Garcia.

"Congratulations to the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2024," founder John McCarthy said. "Each and every member of this class has clearly earned and deserved to be included in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame, and we are thrilled to welcome them into this prestigious national Hall of Fame. What an impressive class!"

Tally sits atop the Norfolk State record books with 2,575 career points, ranking fifth in CIAA history. He was a three-time CIAA Player of the Year (1985-87) and three-time CIAA Tournament MVP (1984-86), leading the Spartans to a pair of CIAA titles in 1984 and 1986.

Tally played just one season with the 3-point shot and hit 92 treys, a school record until Jermaine Bishop made 98 in 2019-20. He averaged 21.3 points per game across his four-year college career, before earning a fourth round NBA draft selection by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The induction ceremony of the eighth Small College Basketball Hall of Fame class will take place on Friday, Nov. 1 at the Polk Theatre in Lakeland, Fla.