Hec Edmundson

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Clarence S. "Hec" Edmundson (August 3, 1886 – August 6, 1964) was a college basketball head coach. A native of Moscow, Idaho, and a 1910 graduate of the University of Idaho, Edmundson coached at his alma mater (1916-18) and the University of Washington (1920-47), compiling a 508-204 (.713) overall record in 29 seasons.

Hec Edmundson also coached the track teams and served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee from 1941-46. The University of Washington hosted the national basketball finals in 1949 and 1952.

In January 1948, the indoor arena at the University of Washington was renamed "Hec Edmundson Pavilion" in his honor. Beginning in March 1999, "Hec Ed" underwent a major interior renovation and re-opened in November 2000.

Edmundson gained his nickname from his mother: as a child he often muttered, "Oh, heck."

One of the first great athletes at the University of Idaho, Edmundson competed in track for the Vandals, where he launched the team onto the national stage when he and two other athletes traveled to the Lewis and Clark Exposition Games against the top schools in the Northwest.

Newspapers wrote that Edmundson “impressed with his graceful form and unfaltering determination.” He is responsible for organizing the Idaho cross country team in 1908, which set the foundation for a team that would win nine Pacific Coast Conference titles. Also in 1908, Edmundson traveled to Stanford for the U.S. Olympic trials, where he won the 800 meters and finished second in the 400 meters. Edmundson held the title of top half-miler in the country through 1912. He became the first Idahoan to compete in the Olympic Games, in London in 1908 and in Stockholm in 1912.

After his athletic success, Edmundson returned to Idaho as a coach for both track and basketball. His basketball teams compiled a 20-9 record in two seasons. He then headed to the University of Washington where he is credited with the creation of the fast-break offense style, which he attributed to his track background. It was his basketball teams that led to Idaho’s athletic teams being nicknamed the Vandals.[1]

[edit] External links

• GoVandals.com - Idaho Vandals Hall of Fame - 2007

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