DR. F.C. "PHOG" ALLEN
1885 - 1974
Charter Inductee - 1961

The most victorious coach in Kansas University basketball history, Dr. Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen compiled a record of 590-219 in his 39 seasons as the Jayhawk head coach from 1907 to 1909 and again from 1919-56. Also coached at Baker University, Haskell Indian Institute and Central (Missouri) Teachers College, before returning to KU as head coach in 1919. All totaled, Allen won 746 games, the national record at the time of his retirement in 1956. His KU teams won 24 conference championships and one NCAA title in 1952. Allen’s 1922 and 1923 teams were awarded the Helms Foundation National Championship. His 1940 and 1953 teams also reached the NCAA championship game. Co-founder of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and its first president. Named National Coach of the Year in 1950. Allen was the driving force behind the addition of basketball to the Olympic Games in 1936. He was also behind the efforts of the implementation of the NCAA Tournament, played for the first time in 1939. Allen coached future Hall of Fame coaches Adolph Rupp, Ralph Miller, and Dean Smith and 14 All-Americans while at KU. Kansas University's Allen Fieldhouse, named for him, was opened March 1, 1955. Charter inductee in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, 1959; Charter inductee in Helms Foundation Basketball Hall of Fame; Inducted University of Kansas Athletic Hall of Fame; Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. Born November 18, 1885 - Jamesport, Missouri. Died September 16, 1974 - Lawrence, Kansas. Graduated Independence (Missouri) H.S., 1905; University of Kansas, 1909; Central College of Osteopathy, 1912.