Norman Cottom (March 12, 1912 – July 1, 1972) was an American professional basketball player for the Indianapolis Kautskys in the National Basketball League for two seasons. A native of

Terre Haute, Indiana Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

, Cottom attended

Wiley High School Terre Haute South Vigo High School is a public high school located in Terre Haute, Indiana. As the name implies, the school's district covers the southern portion of Terre Haute, as well as most of southern Vigo County, the county in which Terre ...

and earned four varsity letters playing for the basketball team. He led the Red Streaks to 3 IHSAA Sectionals and 1 Regionals, reaching the state semi-finals in 1931 His HS teammate,

John Miklozek John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

would become a star at Indiana State University. Cottom was also an all-state performer in

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 ...

. Cottom played college basketball at Purdue University under

Piggy Lambert Ward Louis "Piggy" Lambert (May 28, 1888 – January 20, 1958) was an American basketball and baseball coach. He served as the head basketball coach at Purdue University during the 1916–17 season and from 1918 to 1946. Lambert was also the head ...

. He played on the varsity team for three seasons, and as a junior in 1933–34, Cottom led the Western Conference in scoring. He was named a consensus NCAA All-American at the end of the season. After college, Cottom played for the Indianapolis Kautskys for two seasons and one season with the U.S. Navy Pre-Flight team. He moved into high school coaching in Alexandria and Terre Haute, Indiana (Gerstmeyer High and Wiley High) before moving to

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...

to become chairman of Fullerton Union High School's social studies department. In 1978, Cottom was enshrined in the

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in New Castle, Indiana. While it honors men and women associated with high school, college, and professional basketball in Indiana, an emphasis is placed on the athlete's high ...

References

# # # {{DEFAULTSORT:Cottom, Norman 1912 births 1972 deaths All-American college men's basketball players Basketball players from Indiana Forwards (basketball) High school basketball coaches in Indiana Indianapolis Kautskys players Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball players Sportspeople from Fullerton, California Sportspeople from Terre Haute, Indiana American men's basketball players