Former Bison Coach Erv Inniger Selected to Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame

NEW CASTLE, Ind. – The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame board of directors has announced that former North Dakota State men’s basketball coach Erv Inniger will be inducted into the state’s basketball hall of fame on March 19, 2025.

Inniger is one of 18 new members slated for induction in the 63rd hall of fame class, which also includes two-time Summit League (formerly Mid-Continent Conference) Player of the Year Bryce Drew of Valparaiso.

The all-time coaching wins leader in NDSU men’s basketball history, Inniger guided the Bison to a 244-150 record over 14 seasons from 1978 to 1992 including one North Central Conference title in 1981. His NDSU teams racked up 13 consecutive winning seasons from 1978 to 1991 and advanced to NCAA regionals in 1981 and 1983.

A 1963 graduate of Berne High School in Indiana, Inniger was a standout performer in high school totaling 1,132 points and leading the Bears to a three-year record of 67-12. He played for Indiana University during the mid-1960s and was captain of the Hoosiers team that won the 1967 Big Ten championship.

Inniger played two years in the American Basketball Association with the Minnesota Muskies and the Miami Floridians before starting his coaching career. He spent four seasons at Golden Valley Lutheran Junior College (66-32) and five seasons at Augsburg College (99-42) before coming to NDSU.

Inniger was inducted into the NDSU Bison Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001, and he was selected to the 1988 Indiana silver anniversary all-star team by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.