Former Ohio State basketball captain and Ohio Basketball Hall of Famer Gene Millard died Tuesday at 90 years old.
Millard played at Ohio State from 1954 through 1957, scoring 12.2 points per game as team captain in the 1956-57 season. He scored the first basket in St. John Arena history at the start of that year in November 1956.
Millard's playing career led into a coaching career, beginning as a Buckeye assistant to coach Fred Taylor in 1957-58. He coached four seasons at Washington Court House High School from 1958-62, then another 29 seasons while also serving as athletic director for Bexley from 1962-87 and 1992-96.
In 1983, Bexley won the Class AA Boys State Championship under Millard's leadership. His teams won 496 games, 15 league championships and eight district titles in total.
Millard is survived by three children, 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. One of Millard's children, Becky, died in a 1987 plane crash.
