1997 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE | JEFF D. ROARK
Many great athletes have worn the Buffalo jersey proudly making Milligan College basketball the excellent program it is today. One of the student-athletes that Milligan is proud to have as a part of its history is Jeff D. Roark.
Roark was one of Milligan's best basketball players from 1931 to 1934. His hard-earned accomplishments include being a member of the prestigious "M" club from 1931 to 1934, serving as basketball captain for the 1933 and 1934 seasons, being voted freshman member of the All-Conference team by unanimous decision, and being a selection to the Little All-American team, an honor that came to Roark on more than one occasion. Well-loved by his classmates, he was voted most popular boy his sophomore year of college. Now his name will be appropriately placed in Milligan's Athletics Hall of Fame, another well-deserved honor.
Roark excelled as a forward under team captain Steve Lacy and Coach C.M. Eyler who effectively used Roark to lead the Buffs to victory in the Smokey Mountain Conference Championship in 1931 and 1932. The 1932 Buffalo yearbook said of Roark, "Accurate passes, sure shots and quick breaking have put Jeff in a class all to himself." Even his opponents respected him, one of which said, "I played against Jeff many times. He used to stick to me like a leech; one of the best defensive men who ever guarded me."
One of the most memorable games Roark played in was against the University of Tennessee Volunteers, where the Milligan Buffs, led by Roark at forward, won another victory with a score of 44 to 26.
Even after college, Roark could not stay away from the court. After graduation, he played six seasons with Peerless Woolen Mills, a city league team in Rossville, Georgia. Roark worked with the "Woolens" to win the City League Title for the 1944-45 season and was considered one of the all-time greats to ever wear a Woolen basketball uniform. Roark was also a very competent baseball player for Peerless where he was described as "one of the best infielders in this section of the county."
In November of 1949, Roark died at age 39 in a tragic hunting accident. Jeff Roark will always be an important part of Milligan's history as an alumnus, a Christian and a member of the Athletics Hall of Fame.