ARTHUR A. SCHABINGER
1889 – 1972
Inducted – 1963

After lettering in four sports in both high school and college, Arthur August Schabinger went on to become one of the nation’s great basketball coaches and innovators leading to his induction in 1961 to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield (MA) as a contributor. He won 80 percent of his games and eleven conference titles in 20 years of coaching at Ottawa University, Emporia State and Creighton University. He advocated and promoted intersectional games, conducted clinics throughout the U.S. and overseas, and organized and conducted the Olympic Basketball Tournament in 1936 by which the first U.S. Olympic Team was chosen. Schabinger was one of six coaches who conceived and organized the NABC and wrote its constitution and bylaws. He was its first secretary-treasurer and in 1931-32 was named president. Schabinger participated in the research, development and adoption of the molded basketball. He was the founder and director of the Official Sports Film Service from 1946 to 1956, providing graphic demonstrations and to insure uniformity in the official interpretations of the rules. At the College of Emporia in 1910, he is credited with throwing the first forward pass in college football history in a 17-0 victory over Washburn. That same year, “Schabie” scored seven touchdowns in a 107-0 win over Pittsburg Normal. Inducted into National Football Hall of Fame, the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, and the National Basketball Hall of Fame. Born August 6, 1889 – Sabetha, KS Died October 13, 1972. Graduated Lewis Academy, Emporia (KS), 1908, College of Emporia, 1913; MS – Springfield (MA) College, 1915.