Frank Whitney Ward (September 23, 1904 – February 14, 1980) was an American basketball player who is best known for playing on the dominant teams of

Montana State Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fiel ...

in the late 1920s. Ward, a

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 eccentricity ...

, played for coach

G. Ott Romney George Ottinger "Ott" Romney (December 12, 1892 – May 3, 1973) was an American football player, coach of football, basketball, and track, and college athletics administrator. While directing the department at Montana State Agricultural College ...

, a man credited with implementing the

fast break Fast break is an offensive strategy in basketball and handball. In a fast break, a team attempts to move the ball up court and into scoring position as quickly as possible, so that the defense is outnumbered and does not have time to set up. The ...

style of play in basketball. Montana State won three conference championships during Ward's tenure, and in 1928–29 they finished the season with a 35–2 record. They were declared national champions by the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

. Ward was a two-time

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 ...

, including a consensus selection in

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

. Following his college career, Ward coached high school basketball in Montana. He died on February 14, 1980, in

Sheridan, Wyoming Sheridan is a town in the U.S. state of Wyoming and the county seat of Sheridan County. The town is located halfway between Yellowstone Park and Mount Rushmore by U.S. Route 14 and 16. It is the principal town of the Sheridan, Wyoming, Micropol ...

References

# # # # 1904 births 1980 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Utah Centers (basketball) High school basketball coaches in Montana Montana State Bobcats men's basketball players {{collegebasketball-stub