The Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team represents the University of Iowa in the sport of basketball. The Hawkeyes compete in NCAA Division I’s Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Iowa is led by head coach Ben McCollum.
The Hawkeyes have had eight National Invitation Tournament appearances, won eight Big Ten regular-season conference championships and won the Big Ten tournament three times. Iowa has played in 30 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournaments and advanced to the Final Four on three occasions, reaching the semifinals in 1955 and 1980 and playing in the championship game against the University of San Francisco in 1956.
Iowa basketball was widely successful in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s with a program resurgence under Lute Olson and the tenures of George Raveling and Tom Davis. Under Olson, the Hawkeyes won their last Big Ten regular season championship and went to the 1980 Final Four.
They currently play in 15,400-seat Carver–Hawkeye Arena, along with Iowa women's basketball, wrestling, and volleyball teams.
Prior to playing in Carver-Hawkeye Arena, which opened in 1983, the Hawkeyes played in the Iowa Armory and the Iowa Field House, which is still used today by the school's gymnastics teams. In 2006, the Hawkeyes accumulated a school-record 21 consecutive wins at home before losing to in-state rival Northern Iowa.
Three Iowa head coaches have been inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as coaches: Sam Barry, Ralph Miller, and Lute Olson. A fourth Hawkeyes head coach, George Raveling, is a member in the Hall's contributor category.
History
Early years (1901–1922) The roots of Iowa basketball lie in 1901, when Ed Rule coached the Hawkeyes to a 10–2 record in their very first season of varsity basketball. Earlier, when the sport was evolving and still in a club format, Iowa played the University of Chicago in the first five-on-five college game on January 18, 1896. Rule coached the Hawkeyes in four non-consecutive seasons (1901–02, 03–04, 05–07), leading Iowa to a 37–15 record under his watch. Even today, Rule's winning percentage stands as the best among head coaches in Iowa basketball history.
Aside from Rule's tenure, the Hawkeyes were coached by: Fred Bailey (1902–1903), John Chalmers (1904–1905), John Griffith (1907–1910), Walter Stewart (1910–1912), Floyd Thomas (1912–1913), Maury Kent (1913–1918), Edwin Bannick (1918–1919), and James Ashmore (1919–1922). In the era of multiple sport coaches, Chalmers (24–8), Griffin (2–4), Kent (assistant) and Ashmore (assistant) also were Coaches of Iowa Hawkeyes football. Kent pitched briefly for the Brooklyn Dodgers and coached the Iowa Hawkeyes baseball team (42–26), as did Chalmers (24–6), Stewart (16–12), Ashmore (23–20) and Griffith (9–6). From 1902 to 1923, the best Iowa basketball finished in conference play was fifth on three separate occasions. Iowa began play in the Western Conference (1902–1917) which evolved and changed its name to the Big Ten Conference beginning in 1917–1918.
Sam Barry era (1922–1929)
In 1922, Sam Barry was hired as Iowa's 10th head coach. In Barry's first season, 1923, Iowa went 13–2 overall and won the Big Ten championship for the first time in school history. The winning did not stop there: the Hawkeyes also tied for the Big Ten championship in 1926, along with Indiana, Michigan, and Purdue. Barry also coached the Iowa Hawkeyes baseball team, going 19–15 from 1923 to 1924. Before Barry continued his Hall of Fame career at USC in 1929, he authored a handbook on the sport, Basketball: Individual Play and Team Play, featuring Iowa players and facilities. 62–54 at Iowa, Barry remained at USC until his premature death in 1950 at age 57. Barry was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.
1922–23 Iowa Sam Barry 13–2 11–1 T-1st 1923–24 Iowa Sam Barry 7–18 4–8 9th 1924–25 Iowa Sam Barry 6–10 5–7 7th 1925–26 Iowa Sam Barry 12–5 8–4 T-1st 1926–27 Iowa Sam Barry 9–8 7–5 T-4th 1927–28 Iowa Sam Barry 6–11 3–7 T-7th 1928–29 Iowa Sam Barry 9–8 5–7 7thTotals 62–54 () 43–39 ()
Rollie Williams era (1929–1942) Following Barry in the line of Hawkeye coaches was Rollie Williams, who would coach Iowa on two occasions, from 1929 to 1942 and in 1951. Williams' winning percentage of 51.5% (139–131), and his long tenure at Iowa allowed him to become the winningest coach in Iowa history until Lute Olson, Tom Davis and Fran McCaffery surpassed him.
Early during Williams' head coaching tenure, in 1929, Iowa's teams were suspended from participation in the Big Ten for violating conference rules.Lamb, D and McGrane, B: 75 Years with the Fighting Hawkeyes, p. 100-122. WM. C. Brown Company, 1964 After a Big Ten investigation uncovered an illegal slush fund and possible recruiting violations, Iowa relented to the Big Ten's demands and was eventually reinstated into the conference on February 1, 1930.Lamb, D and McGrane, B, p. 118 Fourteen players, including four on the basketball squad, were declared ineligible as a result of the Big Ten's findings.Lamb, D and McGrane, B, p. 120
Nile Kinnick, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner for Iowa Hawkeyes football, also played basketball at Iowa. Starting for Coach Williams in 1937–38 as a sophomore, Kinnick finished 2nd on the team and 15th in Big Ten scoring with 75 total points (6.3 points per game) that season, his only hoops season.
Williams left the Hawkeyes in 1942 during World War II to enter military service in the Navy. He would return to Iowa after his tour of duty and coached one final season in 1950–51, after illness had forced Pop Harrison away from the sideline the previous season.
Overall Williams had a 42-year tenure at the University of Iowa (1924 to 1966), working in various coaching capacities and moving into athletic administration at Iowa after his coaching career.
1929–30 Iowa Rollie Williams 4–13 0–0* 10th 1930–31 Iowa Rollie Williams 5–12 2–10 10th 1931–32 Iowa Rollie Williams 5–12 3–9 T-8th 1932–33 Iowa Rollie Williams 15–5 8–4 T-3rd 1933–34 Iowa Rollie Williams 13–6 6–6 T-5th 1933–35 Iowa Rollie Williams 10–9 6–6 6th 1935–36 Iowa Rollie Williams 9–10 5–7 T-6th 1936–37 Iowa Rollie Williams 11–9 3–9 T-8th 1937–38 Iowa Rollie Williams 11–9 6–6 T-5th 1938–39 Iowa Rollie Williams 8–11 3–9 10th 1939–40 Iowa Rollie Williams 9–12 4–8 8th 1940–41 Iowa Rollie Williams 12–8 4–88th 1941–42 Iowa Rollie Williams 12–8 10–5 T-2nd 1950–51* Iowa Rollie Williams 15–7 9–5 3rd Totals 139–131 () 69–90 ()
Pops Harrison era (1942–1950) Just as the country emerged from the Depression, so did Iowa's basketball fortunes. Following a rocky 7–10 season in 1943, Pops Harrison led the Hawkeyes to their third overall Big Ten title (and first unshared title) in 1945.
Murray Weir was the centerpiece of Pops Harrison's teams from 1944 to 1948, as Wier was a starter in all four-year season, playing under coach Harrison and developed into a prolific scorer, leading the NCAA in scoring. In 1944–45, the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Conference season championship. The Hawkeyes finished second to the Michigan Wolverines in the Big Ten during Weir's his senior season of 1947–48.
Wier led the Hawkeyes in scoring in 1946–47 and 1947–48 with 15.1 and 21.0 points per game. Weir's 21.0 ppg led the NCAA in scoring in 1947–1948, with Wier becoming the first officially recognized Major College division scoring leader. Weir was a first team all–Big Ten selection and was selected as the Big Ten's Most Valuable Player. Weir was named a 1948 consensus first team All-American.
In the following decade, from 1946 to 1956, the Hawkeyes had but one non–winning season in 1948–49, Harrison's last full season as head coach. Illness forced Harrison miss a good portion of the 1949–50 season, coaching in 11 games.
1942–43 Iowa Pops Harrison 7–10 3–9 9th 1943–44 Iowa Pops Harrison 14–4 9–3 T-2nd 1944–45 Iowa Pops Harrison 17–1 11–1 1st 1945–46 Iowa Pops Harrison 14–4 8–4 T-3rd 1946–47 Iowa Pops Harrison 12–7 5–7 6th 1947–48 Iowa Pops Harrison 15–4 8–4 2nd 1948–49 Iowa Pops Harrison 10–10 3–9 8th 1949–50 Iowa Pops Harrison 9–2* 1–1* Inc*Totals 98–42 () 46–38 ()
Bucky O'Connor era (1949–1958) After playing and graduating from Drake University, O'Connor first came to Iowa from Boone Junior College in Boone, Iowa. He began at Iowa as the freshman basketball coach and Head Golf Coach in 1948. In 1950, O'Connor took over after the first two coaches of the 1949–50 season stepped down. He became the official coach in the 1951–52 season. Following short tenures by O'Connor in 1950 and Rollie Williams (with O'Connor assisting) for the entire 1950–51 season, in subbing for the ill Pops Harrison, O'Connor became Iowa's permanent coach in 1951. O'Connor would hold that position and achieve great success, until his death on April 22, 1958.
Chuck Darling was an early prominent player under O'Connor. Darling was a Consensus first–team All-American in (1952), along with being named 1952 First–team All-Big Ten. Darling was the first-round pick (#8 overall) of the Rochester Royals in the 1952 NBA draft. He played instead for the AAU Phillips 66ers in order to remain an amateur. He later played in the 1956 Olympics.
The Fabulous Five and back-to-back Final Fours In 1952–53, Iowa finished second in the Big Ten behind the efforts of a starting lineup fully composed of sophomores nicknamed the "Fabulous Five:"Sharm Scheuerman, Bill Seaberg, Carl Cain, Bill Schoof, and Bill Logan.
As juniors in 1954–55, Iowa, with the "Fabulous Five" won the Big Ten outright and eventually finished fourth in the nation. Iowa advanced to the Final Four of the 1955 NCAA tournament, defeating Penn State 82–53 and Marquette 86–81 to advance.
In 1955–56, as seniors, Iowa again won the Big Ten outright and advanced to the Final Four of the 1956 NCAA tournament. They defeated Morehead State 97–83 and Kentucky and Coach Adolph Rupp 89–77 to advance to the Final Four. There, they defeated Temple 83–76 to advance to the national championship game. In the championship game, Iowa lost to the undefeated defending national champions — the Bill Russell-led San Francisco Dons – by a score of 83–71.Wooden, J and Newell, P: Cinderellas, Superstars, and Champions from the NCAA Final Four: p. 38–39. Triumph Books, 2004 To date, it remains the only national championship game appearance by the Hawkeyes.
Despite losing in the championship game, for the only time in school history, the Hawkeyes recorded consecutive Big Ten championships. Scheuerman, Seaberg, Cain, Schoof, and Logan, all members of the "Fabulous Five", had their jerseys retired in 1980.
1956 USA Basketball Olympians Chuck Darling and Carl Cain were members of the 1956 United States men's Olympic basketball team that won the gold medal at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Hall of famers Bill Russell and KC Jones were fellow team members. Darling averaged 9.3 points per game in the Olympics.
O'Connor's death On April 22, 1958, at the age of 44, O'Connor died in a car accident near Waterloo, Iowa, killed in a collision with a truck on Highway 218. O'Connor, who had once coached Iowa's Golf team, was on his way to Waterloo to play golf before a speaking engagement with the Sports of Sorts Club in Waterloo.
1949–50 Iowa Bucky O'Connor 6–5* (15–7) 5–5* (6–6) 5th
1950–51 Iowa Rollie Williams 15–7 9–5 3rd
1951–52 Iowa Bucky O'Connor 19–3 11–3 2nd 1952–53 Iowa Bucky O'Connor 12–10 9–9 6th 1953–54 Iowa Bucky O'Connor 17–5 11–3 2nd 1954–55 Iowa Bucky O'Connor 19–7 11–3 1st NCAA FINAL FOUR 1955–56 Iowa Bucky O'Connor 20–6 13–1 1st NCAA RUNNER-UP 1956–57 Iowa Bucky O'Connor 8–14 4–10 8th 1957–58 Iowa Bucky O'Connor 13–9 7–7 6th Totals 114–59 () 71–41 ()* Includes Second Half of 1949–50 Season
Sharm Scheuerman era (1958–1964)