The Jayhawk Coach
Dr. Forrest C. Allen

The dean of basketball coaches in the United States, Dr.
Forrest C. (Phog) Allen of the University of Kansas, embarks on his
thirtieth campaign this winter. His record is 22 conference champion-
Ships in 29 years of coaching. |

Allen played his high school basketball at Independence, Mo.
and it was there that he first met Dr. James Naismith, inventor of the
game of basketball, who was coach at K.U. at that time.

a In 1904 Dr. Allen entered the University of Kansas. During
his college career, he lettered in basketball in 1905, 1906 and 1907
and in baseball in 1906 and 1907. -

: The following year, 1908, saw Allen off to a successful start
as a coach, with a championship basketball team at K.U. His second Jay-
hawk team made even a better record in winning another championship the
next year, marking up ten conference victories to two defeats.

The same season, Dr. Allen was coaching the Haskell Indian
"National Aboriginal" team which won 19 of 24 games and the cage team
of Baker University, twenty miles away.

This concluded Allen's coaching efforts for three years, while
he pursued the study of medicine. In 1912 he became coach of all sports
at Missouri State Teachers College at Warrensburg and his service as a
coach has been continuous from that date.

In his first year at Warrensburg, Dr. Allen's football,
basketball and baseball teams were undefeated and the basketball team
started a series of championships which was unbroken during his seven
years there.

In the fall of 1919 he became director of athletics at the
University of Kansas, and before the basketball season was over was
coaching that sport. Missouri was dominant in basketball at that time,
but by 1922 the youthful Jayhawk mentor had brought Kansas up to a tie
with the Tigers, each team losing a single game of the 16 game confer-
ence schedule. |

The remaining six Seasons of the old Missouri Valley confer-
ence yielded Kansas five championships, the one in 1923 without a
defeat. This season was notable, also, as being in the midst of a
winning streak of 34 consecutive conference games, ended finally by
Oklahoma, which in 1928 moved into championshiv position.

Oklahoma carried over its winning ways into the Big Six con-
ference and held the leadership in 1929; Missouri won the next year;
then Kansas, under Dr. Allen, swept the next four years: The 1935
championship went to Iowa State, coached by Louis Menze, a pupil of
Dr. Allen's at Warrensburg.

In 1936 the Jayhawks blazed through their regular schedule
without defeat, winning eighteen consecutive games. In the regional
Olympic tryouts Kansas defeated Washburn and Oklahoma A. & M. to qual-
ify for the semi-final eliminations.

In that series of games the Jayhawks played Utah State and won
the first gam2, but at a great cost. Francis Kappelman, all-conference
. guard, suffered a deep cut across his knee when he ran into a wire sup-
porting one of the goals and was lost to the team. Without him Kansas
sould not keep paee with the sensational shooting of the Utah State team.

in 1937 Kansas and Nebraska tied for the Big Six championship
and in 1938 the Jayhawks were undisputed champions. Last year Kansas
finished third behind the co-champions, Oklahoma and Missouri.