Bruce Lindner

Bruce Lindner

Sport(s) Basketball & Baseball (1966-1970)
Year Inducted 2002

One of the best scorers of his era, Bruce Lindner established many school records that have stood for 32 years.

He enjoyed one of the finest senior seasons, setting Valpo's single-season records for points (725), points per game (27.9 ppg.), field goals made (274), field goals attempted (589) and free throws made (177). Although he produced numerous high-scoring games, one game in particular stands out as his finest, a 51-point performance against DePauw that remains the highest single-game point total in VU history.

Despite all of his offensive records, one can only imagine how many points Lindner would have scored had he played during the 3-point era. He also achieved his records in a three-year period since freshman were not allowed to play on the varsity team while he was playing. As a senior in 1969-70, Bruce was named Indiana Collegiate Conference MVP.

He became the school's all-time leading scorer in 1970 and held the mark for 23 years until Tracy Gipson and then Bryce Drew took over the top spot. Besides ranking fourth on the Crusaders' all-time scoring list (1,541 points), Bruce stands second in free throws made (391), fourth in free throws attempts (459), fifth in field goals (575) and eighth in field goal attempts (1,170). A dual-sport athlete, he earned First Team All-ICC as a sophomore, junior, and senior.

Bruce is currently the executive director of the Hammond (Ind.) YMCA after serving as executive director of the Portage (Ind.) YMCA from 1984-01.