Henry Iba
Encyclopedia
Henry Payne "Hank" Iba was an American
basketball
and baseball
coach
.
. He played college basketball
at Westminster College, where he became a member of Lambda Chi Alpha
Fraternity.
) and the University of Colorado
, Iba came to Oklahoma A&M College in 1934. He stayed at Oklahoma A&M, renamed Oklahoma State University in 1957, for 36 years until his retirement after the 1969–70 season. For most of his tenure at A&M/OSU, he doubled as athletic director
. Additionally, Iba coached OSU's baseball team from 1934 to 1941.
Iba's teams were methodical, ball-controlling units that featured weaving patterns and low scoring games. Iba's "swinging gate" defense (a man-to-man with team flow) was applauded by many, and is still effective in today's game. He was known as "the Iron Duke of Defense." Iba is thought to be one of the toughest coaches in NCAA history. He was a very methodical coach, and he always wanted things done perfectly.
Iba's Aggies became the first to win consecutive NCAA titles (1945 and 1946). His 1945–46 NCAA champions were led by Bob Kurland
, the game's first seven-foot player. They beat NYU
in the 1945 finals and North Carolina
in the 1946 finals. He was voted coach of the year
in both seasons. His 1945 champions defeated National Invitation Tournament
champion, DePaul
, and 6'9" center George Mikan
in a classic Red Cross Benefit game.
A&M/State teams won 14 Missouri Valley
titles and one Big Eight
title, and won 655 games in 36 seasons. All told, in 40 years of coaching, he won 767 games—the second-most in college basketball history at the time of his retirement. As OSU's athletic director, he built a program that won 19 national championships in 5 sports (basketball, wrestling, baseball, golf, cross country) over the years. After his retirement, "Mr. Iba" (as he is still called at OSU) frequently showed up at practices, often giving advice to young players.
In 1987, OSU's home arena, Gallagher Hall, was renamed Gallagher-Iba Arena
in Iba's honor. A seat in the southeast concourse level of the arena is known as "Mr. Iba's Seat," and it is maintained without a fan having sat in it.
Iba died on January 15, 1993, in Stillwater, Oklahoma
.
; 1968 in Mexico City
). The 1972 final resulted in a controversial loss to the Soviet Union
breaking Team USA's 63-game win streak since basketball was introduced to the Olympics in 1936.
(in 2007) and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at Springfield, Massachusetts.
Iba was indirectly responsible for a $165 million donation to the Oklahoma State University Athletic Program. In 1951, T. Boone Pickens, a graduate of OSU with a degree in petroleum geology, was looking for a job and asked Iba for help. Iba set the young graduate up with two interviews for high-school basketball coaching jobs and although Pickens didn't end up becoming a coach, the favor Iba did for him was the impetus behind his decision 50 years later to make a $165 million donation to Oklahoma State University's athletic program.
. Five nominees are presented and the individual with the most votes receives the award which is presented in conjunction with the Final Four
. This Award is presented at The Oscar Robertson Trophy breakfast the Friday before the Final Four.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
.
Early life
Iba was born and raised in Easton, MissouriEaston, Missouri
Easton is a city in Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 258 at the 2000 census. It is part of the St. Joseph, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Easton is located at ....
. He played college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
at Westminster College, where he became a member of Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a...
Fraternity.
Oklahoma State University
After coaching stints at Maryville Teachers' College (now Northwest Missouri State UniversityNorthwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State University is a state university in Maryville, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, it offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. The campus, based on the design for Forest Park at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, is the official Missouri State Arboretum....
) and the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, Iba came to Oklahoma A&M College in 1934. He stayed at Oklahoma A&M, renamed Oklahoma State University in 1957, for 36 years until his retirement after the 1969–70 season. For most of his tenure at A&M/OSU, he doubled as athletic director
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
. Additionally, Iba coached OSU's baseball team from 1934 to 1941.
Iba's teams were methodical, ball-controlling units that featured weaving patterns and low scoring games. Iba's "swinging gate" defense (a man-to-man with team flow) was applauded by many, and is still effective in today's game. He was known as "the Iron Duke of Defense." Iba is thought to be one of the toughest coaches in NCAA history. He was a very methodical coach, and he always wanted things done perfectly.
Iba's Aggies became the first to win consecutive NCAA titles (1945 and 1946). His 1945–46 NCAA champions were led by Bob Kurland
Bob Kurland
Robert Albert "Bob" Kurland was a basketball center, who played for Henry Iba's Oklahoma A & M Aggies basketball team...
, the game's first seven-foot player. They beat NYU
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in the 1945 finals and North Carolina
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
in the 1946 finals. He was voted coach of the year
Coach of the Year
Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards.Some of these are:*AFCA Coach of the Year *Annis Stukus Trophy...
in both seasons. His 1945 champions defeated National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
champion, DePaul
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...
, and 6'9" center George Mikan
George Mikan
George Lawrence Mikan, Jr. , nicknamed Mr. Basketball, was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League and the Minneapolis Lakers of the NBL, the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball Association...
in a classic Red Cross Benefit game.
A&M/State teams won 14 Missouri Valley
Missouri Valley Conference
The Missouri Valley Conference is a college athletic conference whose members are located in the midwestern United States...
titles and one Big Eight
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
title, and won 655 games in 36 seasons. All told, in 40 years of coaching, he won 767 games—the second-most in college basketball history at the time of his retirement. As OSU's athletic director, he built a program that won 19 national championships in 5 sports (basketball, wrestling, baseball, golf, cross country) over the years. After his retirement, "Mr. Iba" (as he is still called at OSU) frequently showed up at practices, often giving advice to young players.
In 1987, OSU's home arena, Gallagher Hall, was renamed Gallagher-Iba Arena
Gallagher-Iba Arena
Gallagher-Iba Arena, also known as "The Rowdiest Arena in the Country" and "The Madison Square Garden of the Plains”, is the basketball and wrestling venue at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States...
in Iba's honor. A seat in the southeast concourse level of the arena is known as "Mr. Iba's Seat," and it is maintained without a fan having sat in it.
Iba died on January 15, 1993, in Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater, Oklahoma
Stillwater is a city in north-central Oklahoma at the intersection of U.S. 177 and State Highway 51. It is the county seat of Payne County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 45,688. Stillwater is the principal city of the Stillwater Micropolitan Statistical...
.
Olympic coaching
Iba coached the USA Olympic basketball team in 1964, 1968 and 1972. He is the only coach in USA Olympic basketball history to coach two gold medal winning teams (1964 in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
; 1968 in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
). The 1972 final resulted in a controversial loss to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
breaking Team USA's 63-game win streak since basketball was introduced to the Olympics in 1936.
Honors and awards
He was elected to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, the Missouri Hall of Fame, the Helms Foundation All-Time Hall of Fame for basketball, National College Basketball Hall of Fame (in 2007), FIBA Hall of FameFIBA Hall of Fame
FIBA Hall of Fame honors basketball players, coaches and administrators who have contributed to international competitive basketball. It was established by FIBA in 1991. It includes the "Samaranch Library", the biggest basketball library in the world that, as of 2007, has over 10,000 basketball...
(in 2007) and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at Springfield, Massachusetts.
Iba was indirectly responsible for a $165 million donation to the Oklahoma State University Athletic Program. In 1951, T. Boone Pickens, a graduate of OSU with a degree in petroleum geology, was looking for a job and asked Iba for help. Iba set the young graduate up with two interviews for high-school basketball coaching jobs and although Pickens didn't end up becoming a coach, the favor Iba did for him was the impetus behind his decision 50 years later to make a $165 million donation to Oklahoma State University's athletic program.
Head coaching record
Coaching tree
Iba is known for his coaching tree. Coaches in this tree typically use a physical man to man defense and an offense predicated on ball movement and passing. They are linked to Iba through their mentors. Some notable coaches who are included in this tree, either by themselves or by the media:- Adolph RuppAdolph RuppAdolph Frederick Rupp was one of the most successful coaches in the history of American college basketball. Rupp is fourth in total victories by a men's NCAA Division I college coach, winning 876 games in 41 years of coaching...
(coach at Kentucky 1930–1972) - John WoodenJohn WoodenJohn Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
(coach at Indiana State 1946–1948, coach at UCLA 1948–1975) - Larry BrownLarry Brown (basketball)Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
(played for the 1964 U.S. Olympic team) - Doug CollinsDoug CollinsPaul Douglas "Doug" Collins is a retired American basketball player, a former four-time NBA All-Star and currently the head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia 76ers.-High school and college:...
(played for the 1972 U.S. Olympic team) - Bob Knight (coach at Army 1965–1971, coach at Indiana 1972–2000, and coach at Texas Tech 2001–2008)
- Don HaskinsDon HaskinsDonald Lee Haskins, nicknamed "The Bear" , was an American collegiate basketball coach and player. He played for three years under legendary coach Henry Iba at Oklahoma A&M...
(coach at Texas Western/UTEP 1961–1999) - Eddie SuttonEddie SuttonEddie Sutton is an American former college head coach with 36 years of Division I basketball coaching experience at Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma State , and the University of San Francisco...
(coach at Creighton 1969–1974; Arkansas 1975–1984; Kentucky 1985-1989; Okla. State 1990-2006, San Francisco 2007–2008) - Sean SuttonSean SuttonSean Sutton was the head coach of the Oklahoma State University men's basketball program from 2006 until April 1, 2008. He is currently an assistant at Oral Roberts University.-Playing career:...
(coach at OSU 2006–2008) - Scott SuttonScott SuttonScott Sutton is the men's basketball coach for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles. He coached the university into the first round of the 2006, 2007, and 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournaments....
(head coach, Oral Roberts University, 1999–present) - Doc SadlerDoc Sadler-External links:*...
(head coach, Nebraska, 2006–present) - Moe IbaMoe IbaHenry "Moe" Iba Jr. is an American basketball coach. He coached the University of Memphis from 1966–1970, the University of Nebraska from 1980–1986 and Texas Christian University from 1987-1994....
(son, head coach, Nebraska, 1981–1986) - Jack HartmanJack Hartman-Coaching record at Kansas State:- References :...
(coach, Kansas State, 1970–1986) - Bill SelfBill SelfBill Self is an American college men's basketball coach at the University of Kansas, where he led the Jayhawks to the 2008 NCAA national championship....
(coach at Oral Roberts 1993–1997, coach at Tulsa 1997–2000, coach at Illinois 2000–2003, coach at Kansas 2003–present) - Billy GillispieBilly GillispieBilly Clyde Gillispie , also known by his initials BCG, is an American college basketball coach. Since 2011, he has been the current head coach of the men's basketball team at Texas Tech University...
(coach at UTEP 2002–2004, coach at Texas A&M 2004–2007, coach at Kentucky 2007–2009)
The Henry Iba Award
The Henry Iba Award was established in 1959 to recognize the best college basketball coach of the year by the United States Basketball Writers AssociationUnited States Basketball Writers Association
The United States Basketball Writers Association was founded in 1956 by Walter Byers and serves the interests of journalists who cover college basketball.-Scholarships:...
. Five nominees are presented and the individual with the most votes receives the award which is presented in conjunction with the Final Four
Final four
Final Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
. This Award is presented at The Oscar Robertson Trophy breakfast the Friday before the Final Four.
See also
- List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins
- List of NCAA Men's Division I Final Four appearances by coach
- List of Oklahoma State University Olympians