W. Harold Anderson (September 11, 1902 – June 13, 1967) was an American college men's

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 ...

coach at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

and the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of ...

. As a player, he played at

Otterbein College Otterbein University is a private university in Westerville, Ohio. It offers 74 majors and 44 minors as well as eight graduate programs. The university was founded in 1847 by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ and named for United Bre ...

, a small

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual ca ...

outside

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

. As a coach he was one of the first to win more than 500 games on the collegiate level. Anderson was inducted into the

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and prese ...

in 1985 and the

College Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...

in 2006.

Early life

Anderson was born September 11, 1902 in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

. He attended Akron Central High School, where he played football, baseball, basketball and ran track. He then attended

where he earned eleven athletic letters: three each in football, baseball and basketball and two in track.

Coaching career

Anderson began his career as a teacher and coach at

Wauseon High School Wauseon High School is a public high school in Wauseon, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Wauseon Exempted Village School District. The principal of Wauseon High School is Keith Leatherman and the assistant principal is Ryan O'Dell. Acad ...

(Ohio) and Toledo Waite High School. Andreson Coached at the

from 1934–1942 and compiled a record of 142–41. Anderson then coached at

from 1943–1963, with a record of 362–185. His career collegiate coaching record was 504–226. After his retirement from coaching, Anderson continued to serve Bowling Green State University as the Director of Athletics. While pioneering the run and gun, up-tempo style of play, he developed eleven (all of whom played in the NBA) All-America athletes, including

Don Otten Donald Frederick Otten (April 18, 1921 – September 18, 1985) was an American professional basketball player. A 6'10" center from Bellefontaine High School (Ohio) and Bowling Green State University, Otten began his professional career in 1946 w ...

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 fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

inductee

Nate Thurmond Nathaniel Thurmond (July 25, 1941 – July 16, 2016) was an American basketball player who spent the majority of his 14-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Golden State Warriors franchise. He played the center and ...

and 1950 NBA draft No. 1 overall pick Chuck Share.

Honors

* From 1960 to November 11, 2011, the

Bowling Green Falcons The Bowling Green Falcons are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Bowling Green State University (BGSU), in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The Falcons compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Div ...

played basketball in

Anderson Arena Anderson Arena is an indoor arena located in Memorial Hall on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio and is currently home to the Bowling Green Falcons women's gymnastics team. The arena, which opened in 1960, served ...

, named in honor of their coach. The facility is still in use by other university sports. * Bowling Green State University Athletics Hall of Fame (1966) * Toledo Athletics Hall of Fame (1978) * Anderson was enshrined in the

in 1985. * In 2006, Anderson was inducted into the

. * Anderson is one of the charter inductees of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame (2006).

Head coaching record

References

External links

Harold Anderson coaching record
at

Sports Reference Sports Reference, LLC, is an American company which operates several sports-related websites, including Sports-Reference.com, Baseball-Reference.com for baseball, Basketball-Reference.com for basketball, Hockey-Reference.com for ice hockey, Pr ...

* 1902 births 1967 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Ohio Basketball players from Akron, Ohio Bowling Green Falcons athletic directors Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees Otterbein Cardinals men's basketball players Toledo Rockets men's basketball coaches {{1900s-US-basketball-bio-stub