Four individuals with ties to the University of Iowa are members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
John B. McLendon
Inducted in 1978, John B. McLendon was the first African-American coach inducted into the Hall of Fame. McLendon, who helped integrate the game of basketball on a national level, died at the age of 84 in October, 1999. McLendon compiled a 523-165 record in 25 years as a college coach and also coached professionally in the ABL and ABA.
Dr. Ferenc Hepp
Inducted in 1980, Dr. Ferenc Hepp was recognized as a diplomat for the international game and considered the “Father of Basketball” in Hungary.
Ralph Miller
Inducted in 1988, Ralph Miller posted a 95-51 mark as the Iowa basketball coach from 1965-70. His 1970 team posted a perfect 14-0 mark in the Big Ten and is still the highest scoring team (102.9 points per game) in league history. Miller’s career coaching record in 38 years as a college coach was 657-382. He also coached at Wichita State (1952-64) and Oregon State (1971-89).
Lute Olson
Inducted in 2002, Lute Olson posted a 168-90 mark as the Iowa basketball coach from 1975-83. His 1979 Iowa team earned a share of the Big Ten title and the 1980 Hawkeyes advanced to the NCAA Final Four. In nine seasons, Olson led his Iowa teams to 20 wins or more on six occasions. Olson, currently the head coach at Arizona, begins the 2004-05 season with a career record of 711-249 (.741) in 30 years as a college coach.
Hall of Fame Features Iowa Displays
Along with the three individuals listed above, the Basketball Hall of Fame features displays on former Iowa Coach Tom Davis and former Hawkeye Kent McCausland.
Davis, who earned career win No. 500 in Iowa’s 84-62 win over Purdue in 1997, has the game ball from that victory on display.
McCausland earned the Ed Steitz award in 1997 after leading the nation in three-point field goal percentage (.522). McCausland’s Iowa jersey is on permanent display.