Henry Iba facts for kids
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| Biographical details | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | August 6, 1904 Easton, Missouri, U.S. |
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| Died | January 15, 1993 (aged 88) Stillwater, Oklahoma, U.S. |
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| Playing career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Basketball | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1923–1927 | Westminster (MO) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Center | |||||||||||||||||||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Basketball | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1927–1929 | Classen HS (OK) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1929–1933 | Northwest Missouri State | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1933–1934 | Colorado | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1934–1970 | Oklahoma A&M / State | |||||||||||||||||||
| Baseball | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1934–1941 | Oklahoma A&M / State | |||||||||||||||||||
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 1935–1970 | Oklahoma A&M | |||||||||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall | 751–340 (college basketball) 90–41 (college baseball) |
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| Accomplishments and honors | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Championships | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Basketball 2 NCAA tournament (1945, 1946) 4 NCAA Regional—Final Four (1945, 1946, 1949, 1951) |
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| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1969 (profile) |
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| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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Medal record
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Henry Payne Iba (born August 6, 1904 – died January 15, 1993) was a famous American basketball coach. He also worked as an athletics director for a college.
Iba coached college basketball teams from 1929 to 1970. He led the Oklahoma A&M team to win two NCAA basketball tournament championships in a row, in 1945 and 1946.
He was also the athletic director at Oklahoma A&M / Oklahoma State from 1935 to 1970. Plus, he coached the school's baseball team for several years.
Henry Iba also coached the United States men's national basketball team. He led them to win gold medals at the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics. He was recognized for his amazing career by being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.
Early Life and College Days
Henry Iba was born and grew up in Easton, Missouri. He played college basketball at Westminster College. The basketball court at Westminster College is now named after him to honor his achievements.
Coaching Career Highlights
After coaching at other colleges, Iba came to Oklahoma A&M College in 1934. This school later became Oklahoma State University in 1957. He stayed there for 36 years, until he retired in 1970. For most of that time, he was also the school's athletic director. He even coached OSU's baseball team from 1934 to 1941.
Iba was known as a very tough and careful coach. He wanted everything to be done perfectly by his teams. His teams played a slow, controlled style of basketball, focusing on strong defense. His special "swinging gate" defense was very famous and is still used today. People called him "the Iron Duke of Defense."
His Oklahoma A&M team was the first to win two NCAA titles in a row. They won in 1945 and 1946. The 1945–46 team had Bob Kurland, who was one of the first seven-foot basketball players. Iba was named coach of the year in both of those championship seasons.
His teams at Oklahoma A&M/State won many conference titles. In total, he won 655 games in 36 seasons with them. When he retired, he had won 767 games in his whole coaching career. This was the second-most wins in college basketball history at that time.
As the athletic director at OSU, he helped the school win 19 national championships in five different sports. Even after he retired, "Mr. Iba," as he was called, often visited practices to give advice to young players.
In 1987, OSU's home basketball arena, Gallagher Hall, was renamed Gallagher-Iba Arena to honor him. There's even a special seat in the arena called "Mr. Iba's Seat" that is always kept empty.
Olympic Coaching Success
Iba also coached the United States Olympic basketball team. He led the team in the 1964, 1968, and 1972 Olympic Games. He was the first coach in U.S. Olympic basketball history to win two gold medals. These wins were at the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics and the 1968 Mexico City Summer Olympics.
In 1972, his team played in another gold medal game. They had a very close and controversial 50–51 loss to the Soviet Union. This loss ended Team USA's amazing 63-game winning streak in Olympic competition.
Awards and Special Honors
Henry Iba received many honors for his work. He was inducted into several Halls of Fame, including the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, and the Missouri Hall of Fame. He was also inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the FIBA Hall of Fame in 2007. His most famous induction was into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1969.
Iba's kindness even led to a huge donation to Oklahoma State University. In 1951, a former student named T. Boone Pickens asked Iba for help finding a job. Iba helped him get two interviews. Even though Pickens didn't become a coach, he remembered Iba's help. Fifty years later, he donated $165 million to Oklahoma State University's athletic program because of that favor.
Death
Henry Iba passed away on January 15, 1993, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
His Lasting Legacy
The "Coaching Tree"
Henry Iba is famous for his "coaching tree." This means many other successful coaches either played for him, coached with him, or learned from his students. Coaches from his "tree" often use a strong man-to-man defense and an offense that focuses on passing the ball well.
Some well-known coaches from his tree include:
- Larry Brown: He played for Iba's 1964 U.S. Olympic team. He later won an NCAA title and an NBA title as a coach.
- Don Haskins: He played for Oklahoma A&M and was an assistant coach for Iba's 1972 U.S. Olympic Team. He won an NCAA title in 1966.
- Bob Knight: He was an assistant coach on Iba's 1972 U.S. Olympic Team. He went on to win three NCAA titles as a coach.
- Eddie Sutton: He played for Oklahoma A&M and was an assistant coach at Oklahoma State. He became a very successful college coach.
Henry Iba Award
The Henry Iba Award was created in 1959. It is given each year to the best college basketball coach in the country. Basketball writers vote for the winner, and the award is given out during the Final Four tournament.
Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete Award
In 1994, the Rotary Club of Tulsa started the Henry P. Iba Citizen Athlete of the Year Award. This award honors two athletes, one male and one female. It recognizes them for being excellent in their sport and also for being good citizens.
Portrayals in Movies
In 2017, an actor named John Savage played Henry Iba in a Russian sports movie called Going Vertical. The movie was about the controversial 1972 Olympic basketball final.
Images for kids
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Henry Iba in 1945.
