Earl Iba was among the Iba basketball coaching family. Born in Easton, he was the youngest of five children born to Henry B. and Zylfa Iba. His childhood was spent playing basketball, baseball and fishing, pursuits he and his brothers enjoyed through the rest of their lives. Their early years of basketball provided the foundation for… Read more »
News
Year: 1992
Howard Iba
Howard Iba, the brother of legendary Oklahoma State University basketball coach Henry Iba, was the longtime basketball coach at Central High School in St. Joseph. He and his brother grew up in the northwest Missouri town of Easton, playing basketball on a dirt court with their other two brothers, Clarence and Earl . All four brothers… Read more »
Earl Jansen
Perhaps St. Louis’ most versatile high school athlete, Jansen earned 13 varsity letters in six different sports – football, basketball, baseball, track, swimming and fancy diving – while at Cleveland High School in the late 1920’s. He attended the University of Illinois, winning All-American honors in fancy diving in 1934. After graduation, he returned to… Read more »
Harry Keough
Keough was an American soccer defender who played on the United States national team in their 1–0 upset of England at the 1950 FIFA World Cup. He spent most of his club career in his native St. Louis, winning a national junior championship, two National Challenge Cup and seven National Amateur Cup titles. He coached… Read more »
Ben Kerner
Ben Kerner brought professional basketball to Missouri. Kerner bought the Milwaukee Hawks and brought them to St. Louis on a risk and gamble, which paid tremendous dividends to him and the city of St. Louis. The St. Louis Hawks went to the NBA finals against the Boston Celtics in just their third year since relocating… Read more »
Marty Marion
Nicknamed “Slats”, Marion had unusually long arms which reached for grounders like tentacles, prompting sportwriters to call him “The Octopus”. From 1940-50, Marion led the National League shortstops in fielding percentage four times, despite several other players being moved around the infield during these years. In 1941 he played all 154 games at shortstop (also… Read more »
Lee McKinney
Lee McKinney was a former basketball coach and athletics director at Fontbonne University. “You can probably consider him the dean of coaches in St. Louis,” Washington University coach Mark Edwards said. “He was very entrenched with high school coaches and players in the area. He enjoyed the kids that he coached. He was very dedicated… Read more »
Ivan Milton
Ivan Milton was the longest-tenured athletic trainer Missouri State University has had many noteworthy accomplishments in his nearly three-decade career on the Springfield campus, as he was influential the establishment and expansion of a number of training facilities and services. In his first year at Missouri State University, he opened and supplied the training room… Read more »
Terry Moore
A right-handed batter and thrower, Moore began his professional baseball career in 1932. In 1934, he hit .328 in the American Association and earned a roster spot with the Cardinals the following season. Moore joined the Cardinals the year after the Gashouse Gang won the 1934 World Series. He hit for a career .280 batting… Read more »
Sam Muchnick
Muchnick was born in Ukraine to a Jewish family, but moved to the United States in 1911. He grew up in St. Louis, and his name was changed to Samuel when his father decided that Jeshua (Jesus or Joshua) was an inappropriate name for a Jewish child. In 1926, he joined the sports staff at… Read more »
Bob Nelson
Bob Nelson coached for 25 years at St. Louis Community College-Forest Park, 19 years with the men’s team and six years with the women. Along the way, “Mad Dog,” as his former players affectionately know him, amassed a record of 509-240.
Richard “Hoot” Newman
Newman earned National Water Polo Hall of Fame honors in 1983, where he was introduced as the “Missouri Scoring Machine”. Among nine All-American selections, he held at least one for every position in the sports – guard, center, forward, hole forward and goalie. He was never held scoreless in any game in which he was… Read more »
Ruth “Casey” Osburn
After pioneering women’s basketball at Shelbyville High School in the early 1930s, Ruth “Casey” Osburn was the first player selected for the world famous Olson’s “All-American Redheads.” The 6-foot star played jumping center and was an accomplished ball handler. She toured with the Redheads for six years, promoting women’s basketball throughout the country as the… Read more »
Medford “Med” Park
Medford Park grew up in Lexington, Missouri. He attended Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington from 1947 to 1951 and was a star athlete. Park then went on to become an All-American basketball player for the University of Missouri. A 6’2″ guard/forward, he played five seasons (1955–1960) in the National Basketball Association as a member of… Read more »
Dan Pippen
Pippen was a farmboy from Waynesville, Missouri, who became an All Big 6 and All American basketball player at the University of Missouri. He later captained the 1952 United States Olympic team that won the gold medal in Helsinki. He played all eight games. After Pippin graduated from the University of Missouri he went to… Read more »