Luke Witte (born October 19, 1950) is a retired American college and professional basketball player who is now a church minister. He played at the collegiate level for Ohio State University and professionally for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was during his time at Ohio State that he was severely injured in one of the more brutal on-court brawls in basketball history. High school and college Witte was a standout player at Marlington High School in Alliance, Ohio, where he scored over 1500 points during his career. He went on to the Ohio State University, where, as a sophomore, in 1971 led the team in rebounds (331 for the season) and was all-Big Ten. The Ohio State team were Big Ten champions, and teamed with fellow Buckeye standouts Allan Hornyak and Jim Cleamons. The 1971 Ohio State team defeated Marquette in the NCAA Tournament Mid-East regional semifinal before losing to Western Kentucky. Brawl in Minnesota Witte is best known for the incident at the Ohio State–Minnesota game, played at Minnesota on January 25, 1972. According to the Big Ten Conference's review of the game film, Witte appeared to elbow Minnesota guard Bobby Nix as the two teams headed to their locker rooms at halftime. During the second half, Ohio State led 50-44 with 36 seconds to go when Witte went for a layup but was fouled hard. Immediately following the foul, Minnesota player Corky Taylor extended an arm to help Witte up, then kneed Witte in the groin and punched him in the head. While on the floor, he was also kicked and stomped by Minnesota player Ron Behagen, knocking him unconscious. What followed was an extended brawl. Witte's teammate, Dave Merchant, attempted to come to his aid, but was struck in the face several times by Gopher Jim Brewer. Another Buckeye, Mark Wagar (currently the president of Empire BlueCross BlueShield in New York), was attacked from behind by Minnesota player—and future Major League Baseball Hall of Famer—Dave Winfield, who landed four or five punches to Wagar's head. When order was restored, Minnesota Athletic Director Paul Giel announced the game was over and the Buckeyes were a 50-44 victor, prompting Minnesota fans to boo and throw objects as Witte was carried from the floor. Hospitalized for several days, including 24 hours in intensive care, Witte's injuries included 29 facial stitches and a scarred cornea. In all, three Ohio State players were