110 YEARS OF KANSAS BASKETBALL
More than 1,900 victories speak to Kansas' success on the basketball court. And an all-time winning percentage better than .700 points to a rich tradition of excellence But the most telling number of all could be eight In 110 years, Kansas has employed just eight full time men's basketball coaches. Some stuck around for less than a decade, one for 39 seasons The continuity enjoyed by Kansas coaches is indicative of the impressive pedigree the program has maintained for the past century and beyond.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPENNER RESEARCH LIBRARY James Naismith (left) and F.C. "Phog" Allen (right) were the first coaches of Kansas basketball. Naismith had the lowest winning percentage of any Kansas coach, and his successor, Allen, was Kansas "winningest coach."
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
Larry Brown led the Jayhawks to an unexpected national championship victory in 1988. The 1988 team, which included star forward Danny Manning, finished third in its conference but went 6-0 during tournament play.
2. "Phog" Allen (1908-09, 1918-56)
1. James Naismith (1898-1907)
TOP FIVE KANSAS COACHES:
Naismith's .478 winning percentage is the lowest of any Kansas coach, but he still tops the list. After all, he did invent basketball. While working as a physical education teacher in Massachusetts, Naismith took inspiration from football and rugby to create basketball.
Seven years later, in 1898, Naismith became a Kansas faculty member and the school's first basketball coach. The Jayhawks struggled to seven losing seasons in his nine years as coach, but without "The Father of Basketball", Kansas might not have had a basketball program at all.
Forrest C. Allen, nicknamed "Phog", built an impressive resume during 39 years of coaching Kansas. Allen, who also served as athletics director and football coach at times during his lengthy stint at Kansas, won a school-record 590 games and 24 conference championships.
Allen's most famous team was the 1952 squad that finished 28-3 and won the NCAA Title. The legacy of Kansas' winningest coach lives on through Allen Fieldhouse, where the Jayhawks have played for the past 53 years.
3. Larry Brown (1984-1988)
Larry Brown's tenure at Kansas was short but very sweet. The sixth Kansas coach led all of his five teams to the NCAA Tournament and piled up a 135-44 record.
His greatest contribution to Kansas before he left for a job with the NBA's San Antonio Spurs was an improbable national championship run in 1988. The 1988 team, dubbed "Danny's Miracles" in honor of star forward Danny Manning, finished third in the Big Eight Conference with a 9-5 record but made a remarkable 6-0 run through the NCAA Tournament and captured the national title by defeating Oklahoma, 83-79.
4. Roy Williams (1989-2003)
Williams stayed at Kansas for three times as long as Brown and won more than 80 percent of his contests, but he could never seal the deal and bring a national
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY Roy Williams coached the Jayhawks for 15 seasons, winning nine conference titles, but never managed to seal a national championship victory.
1916-1917: The Jayhawks once again finished fourth in their division with a 9-7 record. The Hawks were 12-8 overall for the season.
1917-1918: The Jayhawks improved in their division, finishing in third with a 9-8 record. The Hawks went 10-8 for the season.
1918-1919: Under the final season of Coach Hamilton, the Jayhawks finished fifth in their division, with a 5-9 record. The Hawks were 7-9 for the season.
1919-1920: Karl Schlademan coached the Jayhawks to victory in the first game of the season, before Coach "Phog" Allen took over for the rest of the season. Allen helped the Hawks finish third in their division with a 9-7 record while they went 11-7 overall.
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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN