William Charles Menke (October 16, 1918 – January 7, 1945) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He was an

NCAA All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

and a starter on the school's first championship team in 1940. Menke, a 6'3"

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

from Huntingburg High School in

Huntingburg, Indiana Huntingburg is a city in Patoka Township, Dubois County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,362 at the 2020 census. Located in southwestern Indiana, the city is known for its downtown with numerous antique shops. It is part of t ...

and

Kemper Military School Kemper Military School & College was a private military school located in Boonville, Missouri. Founded in 1844, Kemper filed for bankruptcy and closed in 2002. The school's motto was "Nunquam Non Paratus" (Never Not Prepared). The 46-acre camp ...

, played for coach

Branch McCracken Emmett B. "Branch" McCracken (June 9, 1908 – June 4, 1970) was an American basketball player and coach. He served as the head basketball coach at Ball State University from 1930 to 1938 and at Indiana University Bloomington from 1938 to 1943 a ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

from 1938 to 1941, averaging 8.8 points per game for his career. Menke was named a third team All-American by

Converse Converse may refer to: Mathematics and logic * Converse (logic), the result of reversing the two parts of a definite or implicational statement ** Converse implication, the converse of a material implication ** Converse nonimplication, a logical c ...

during the Hoosiers' 1939–40 championship season, joining teammate Marvin Huffman on the All-America team. His younger brother, Bob, was also his teammate at Indiana. Menke graduated as the Hoosiers' all-time leading scorer with 530 points, although this record has since been eclipsed. Following his college career, Menke played in the Amateur Athletic Association with the

Great Lakes Naval Training Station Naval Station Great Lakes (NAVSTA Great Lakes) is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near North Chicago, in Lake County, Illinois. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center ...

team. Menke died in a plane crash during World War II while serving with the United States Navy. Menke was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988., accessed August 21, 2011

References

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* 1918 births 1945 deaths All-American college men's basketball players Amateur Athletic Union men's basketball players Basketball players from Indiana Centers (basketball) Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball players People from Huntingburg, Indiana American men's basketball players United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel killed in World War II {{1910s-US-basketball-bio-stub