John Wallace Eskridge (January 21, 1924 – February 11, 2013) was an American professional basketball player. He spent one season in the

Basketball Association of America The Basketball Association of America (BAA) was a professional basketball league in North America, founded in 1946. Following its third season, 1948–49, the BAA absorbed most of National Basketball League (NBL) and rebranded as the National Ba ...

(BAA) as a member of the Chicago Stags and the Indianapolis Jets (1948–49). He recruited

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

basketball player Wilt Chamberlain to the University of Kansas, and designed the "star" logo of the Dallas Cowboys professional football team in the

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

Early years

Eskridge was born on January 21, 1924, in Independence, Missouri. He attended William Chrisman High School where he played on the school's basketball team. After graduating high school he began attending Graceland University where he played on the

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and basketball teams. He was later inducted into the college's athletic

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

. He joined the United States Marine Corps during World War II where he served in the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. During the war he was involved in the battle of Iwo Jima and witnessed both flag raisings.

University and professional athletics

After Eskridge was relieved of duty he started attending the University of Kansas and played on the school's basketball team. Once his professional playing career was over he coached the Atchison High School (Kansas) basketball team to a state championship before he joined the Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball team as their equipment manager and assistant coach under Phog Allen from 1954 to 1959. During his tenure, he recruited Wilt Chamberlain. In 1959, Eskridge joined the Dallas Cowboys football team as their equipment manager. He was credited with designing the Cowboys' star logo.

Later years

After Eskridge's career with Dallas he moved to Independence, Missouri, where he coached basketball and taught high school for over 20 years. Eskridge died in Independence on February 11, 2013, at the age of 88.

BAA career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

Jack Eskridge, the Man Who Created the Dallas Cowboys’ Logo, Has DiedCowboys’ First Equip. Manager, Creator of Star Passes Away
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eskridge, Jack 1924 births 2013 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II American men's basketball players Basketball players from Kansas Centers (basketball) Chicago Stags players Dallas Cowboys personnel Forwards (basketball) Graceland Yellowjackets football players Graceland Yellowjackets men's basketball players High school basketball coaches in Missouri Indianapolis Jets players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball coaches People from Jefferson County, Kansas People from Independence, Missouri