Basketball Hall of Fame

Caterpillar guard Dan Pippin, from Waynesville, Missouri, captained the 1952 United States Olympics team at Helsinki that defeated the Soviet Union twice - 36-25 the second time for the gold medal - and scored in double figures three times in Finland. He also contributed 13 points in the Diesels' 62-60 victory over NCAA champion Kansas in the finale of the Olympic Tournament.

The 6-foot-1 1/2 Pippin earned Amateur Athletic Union all-America recognition in 1952 for Peoria of the National Industrial Basketball League, winners of the postseason tournament at Denver.

Pippin scored 1,518 points, second on the all-time career list, during four seasons with the Diesels.

He led Missouri in scoring with a 10.7 per game average in 1948. While in the U.S. Army, he visited Peoria and played on the same Fort Sheridan team as future Bradley University stars Gene Melchiorre and Bill Mann against Caterpillar at the Armory.