Edgar Diddle

Edgar Allen Diddle (March 12, 1895 in Gradyville, Kentucky, United States - January 2, 1970) was a 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 to coach 1,000 games at one school. Diddle was known for waving a red towel around along the sidelines during his games. He was known to wave, toss, and chew on this towel, and even cover his face in times of disappointment. His red towel is now part of WKU's official athletic logo. Diddle experienced only five losing seasons in 42 years and overall, averaged 25 wins per year.

Diddle's teams claimed 32 conference championships, played in 11 postseason tournaments; won 20+ games eighteen different times, (including one stretch of ten years in a row); became the first team from the South to participate in the Olympic Trials; and won an amazing 759 games. When he stepped down in 1964 Diddle had won more games than any coach in NCAA history and today he still ranks in the top ten on the all-time list.

While Diddle was best known for coaching men's basketball, he also coached football, baseball, and women's basketball at WKU, although men's basketball was his only coaching job for the vast majority of his tenure at the school.[1]

Prior to coming to Western Kentucky, Diddle played basketball and football for Centre College and was a member of their 1919 undefeated basketball team. After college he coached basketball at Monticello High School, where he guided the team to the Kentucky State Tournament semi-finals, and then Greenville High School, which played in a regional tournament at Bowling Green. During the tournament, he came to the attention of officials at Western Kentucky who offered him the coaching position at the college.

E. A. Diddle Arena, the basketball venue at WKU, built in 1963, is named for him.

Contents

Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Independent) (1922–1948)
1922–1923 Western Kentucky 12–2
1923–1924 Western Kentucky 9–9
1924–1925 Western Kentucky 8–6
1925–1926 Western Kentucky 10–4
1926–1927 Western Kentucky 12–7
1927–1928 Western Kentucky 10–7
1928–1929 Western Kentucky 8–10
1929–1930 Western Kentucky 4–12
1930–1931 Western Kentucky 11–3
1931–1932 Western Kentucky 15–8
1932–1933 Western Kentucky 16–6
1933–1934 Western Kentucky 28–8
1934–1935 Western Kentucky 24–3
1935–1936 Western Kentucky 26–4
1936–1937 Western Kentucky 21–2
1937–1938 Western Kentucky 30–3
1938–1939 Western Kentucky 22–3
1939–1940 Western Kentucky 24–6 NCAA Elite 8
1940–1941 Western Kentucky 22–4
1941–1942 Western Kentucky 29–5 NIT Runner Up
1942–1943 Western Kentucky 24–3 NIT Quarterfinals
1943–1944 Western Kentucky 13–9
1944–1945 Western Kentucky 17–10
1945–1946 Western Kentucky 15–19
1946–1947 Western Kentucky 25–4
1947–1948 Western Kentucky 28–2
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Ohio Valley Conference) (1948–1964)
1948–1949 Western Kentucky 25–4 8–2 1st NIT Quarterfinals
1949–1950 Western Kentucky 25–6 8–0 1st NIT Quarterfinals
1950–1951 Western Kentucky 19–10 4–4 4th
1951–1952 Western Kentucky 26–5 11–1 1st NIT Quarterfinals
1952–1953 Western Kentucky 25–6 8–2 2nd NIT Quarterfinals
1953–1954 Western Kentucky 29–3 9–1 1st NIT Semifinal/3rd Place
1954–1955 Western Kentucky 18–10 8–2 1st
1955–1956 Western Kentucky 16–12 7–3 T-1st
1956–1957 Western Kentucky 17–9 9–1 T-1st
1957–1958 Western Kentucky 14–11 5–5 3rd
1958–1959 Western Kentucky 16–10 8–4 2nd
1959–1960 Western Kentucky 21–7 10–2 1st NCAA 2nd Round/NCAA Midwest 3rd Place
1960–1961 Western Kentucky 18–8 9–3 T-1st
1961–1962 Western Kentucky 17–10 11–1 1st NCAA 2nd Round
1962–1963 Western Kentucky 5–16 3–9 7th
1963–1964 Western Kentucky 5–16 3–11 8th
Western Kentucky: 759–302 121–51
Total: 759-302

      National champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference tournament champion
      Conference regular season & conference tournament champion       Conference division champion

See also

References

External links

Players
Coaches
  • Edgar Diddle
Contributors
Members
Awards