John Oldham (June 22, 1923 – November 23, 2020) was an American college and professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player, college basketball coach and athletic director.
Oldham interrupted his studies at
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...
(WKU) to serve in the US Navy during World War II. He was on the university's basketball team and after graduation in 1949 played for the
Fort Wayne Pistons
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
. Oldham went into coaching in 1952 at College High School in Bowling Green, Kentucky. In 1955 he became coach of the
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball
The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Postseason results
N ...
and led the team to three conference championships. He returned to WKU in 1964 to coach the
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Western Kentucky University (WKU) in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers currently compete in Conference USA. The team's most recent appeara ...
team, leading them to four NCAA tournaments, one NIT, and winning four
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...
(OVC) championships. In 1971 Oldham was promoted to athletic director at WKU, a position he held until 1986. During his tenure the university won six OVC and one
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...
All-Sports Championship. After retirement he was elected to the Bowling Green City Commission.
Career
Oldham came to
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtow ...
in 1942 after earning All-State honors at
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...
High School. In 1943 he left college to serve in the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
during World War II. He returned to the college in 1946, graduating in 1949. The teams he played on at Western were nationally ranked, participated in three
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...
s, including a 3rd-place finish in 1948, won three
KIAC titles, one
SIAA championship, and the first
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...
title. He was a United Press and Associated Press
All-America
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 ...
n in 1949. After college, he played for the
Fort Wayne Pistons
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
of the
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...
.
In 1952 he began his coaching career at College High School in Bowling Green, KY. In his first year as coach, he led the boys' basketball team to the state tournament.
Oldham was hired to coach
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball
The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball team is the men's basketball team that represents Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.
Postseason results
N ...
in 1955. He led the school to three conference championships and its first two appearances in the NCAA tournament. Oldham returned to coach his alma mater, the
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the Co ...
, in 1964, taking over for his former coach
Edgar Diddle
Edgar Allen Diddle (March 12, 1895 – January 2, 1970) was an American college men's basketball coach. He is known for coaching at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky from 1922 to 1964. Diddle became the first coach in history ...
who retired after 42 years at the school. In seven seasons, he finished 146–41 with a 78% winning percentage, leading them to four NCAA tournaments and an NIT berth while winning five
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...
championships.
He led the Hilltoppers to the
1971 NCAA tournament to the Final Four and finished third overall. Their third-place finish was later vacated by the NCAA due to allegations that one of their players,
Jim McDaniels
James Ronald McDaniels (April 2, 1948 – September 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. McDaniels played collegiately for Western Kentucky University and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 American Basketball Associat ...
, had signed a professional contract prior to the end of the season. He was named
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern and Southeastern United States, Southeastern United States. It participates in NCAA Divisi ...
coach of the year four times.
[Retrieved on August 23, 2018.]
In 1971 Oldham was named Athletic Director for WKU, and served in that position until his retirement in 1986. During his tenure as AD, WKU won six OVC All-Sports Championships and one
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participa ...
All-Sports Championship. He oversaw the football program upgrading from NCAA Division 2 to Division 1AA in 1978, the school leaving the OVC and joining the Sun Belt Conference in 1982, and the
Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball
The Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball team represents Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The team currently competes in the NCAA Division I as a member of Conference USA. Greg Collins is entering his fourth season as ...
team becoming one of the top programs in the country. He also hired the school's first African American Head Coach,
Clem Haskins as men's basketball coach, in 1980. He has been inducted into the Lions Club Kentucky High School Hall of Fame (1969), Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame (1986), Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame (1989), Kentucky High School Hall of Fame (1990), Tennessee Tech Sports Hall of Fame (1990) and WKU Athletic Hall of Fame (1991).
[
In 1991 Oldham was elected to the Bowling Green City Commission and was re-elected twice, serving as Commissioner through December 1998.
Oldham died at Bowling Green on November 23, 2020 at the age of 97. He was due to be buried in the city's Fairview Cemetery with military honours on November 30.
]
Cultural impact
The 1971 Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers are the athletic teams that represent Western Kentucky University (WKU), located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, competing in the Co ...
NCAA Final-4 basketball team was the first non-historically black
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. ...
Kentucky collegiate basketball team to start five African-American players. Coach Oldham started Clarence Glover
Clarence Glover (born November 1, 1947) is a retired American National Basketball Association (NBA) player, who played in college at Western Kentucky (1968–1971). Glover was a forward at 6'8" and 210 lb.
Early life
Born in Horse Cave, Ken ...
, Jim McDaniels
James Ronald McDaniels (April 2, 1948 – September 6, 2017) was an American professional basketball player. McDaniels played collegiately for Western Kentucky University and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1971 American Basketball Associat ...
, Jim Rose, Jerry Dunn and Rex Bailey. Oldham was pressured not to start all five together, but said "they are my best five players."
The concept of WKU's Red Towel athletics logo was developed by John Oldham in 1971, based on Ed Diddle's use of a red towel while coaching games.
In 1980 Oldham hired the first African-American head coach in school history, when he named Clem Haskins basketball coach.
On December 27, 2012, WKU honored Oldham in a pregame ceremony in which the court at EA Diddle Arena
E. A. Diddle Arena is a 7,326-seat multi-purpose arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. The arena, built in 1963, is home to the Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers men's basketball team and Lady Toppers basketball and volleyball t ...
was named "John Oldham Court." Oldham was a player, basketball coach, and athletic director during his time at WKU.
Career statistics
NBA
Source
Regular season
Playoffs
Head coaching record
* 1971 NCAA Tournament participation later vacated by the NCAA
See also
* List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach
This is a list of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament regional championships by coach. The current names of the NCAA tournament regions are the East, Midwest, South, and West. The winners of the four regions are awarded an NCAA Regiona ...
References
External links
Western Kentucky profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oldham, John
1923 births
2020 deaths
All-American college men's basketball players
American men's basketball coaches
American men's basketball players
Basketball coaches from Kentucky
Basketball players from Kentucky
Fort Wayne Pistons draft picks
Fort Wayne Pistons players
Guards (basketball)
High school basketball coaches in the United States
Kentucky city council members
Military personnel from Kentucky
People from Beaver Dam, Kentucky
People from Hartford, Kentucky
Sportspeople from Bowling Green, Kentucky
Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles men's basketball coaches
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers athletic directors
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball coaches
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball players
United States Navy personnel of World War II