Forrest Twogood

Forrest Twogood
Sport(s) Basketball
Biographical details
Born April 29, 1907
Kingsley, Iowa
Died April 26, 1972 (aged 64)
Glendale, California
Playing career
1926-1929 Iowa [1]
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1929-1936
1936-1941
1941-1942
1949-1950
1950-1966		 USC (asst.)
Idaho
San Francisco
USC (asst.)
USC
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1966-1972 USC (Asst. AD)
Head coaching record
Overall 317–260 (.549)
Tournaments NCAA: 3-5 (.375)
Accomplishments and honors

Championships

NCAA Final Four (1954)
PCC Championship (1954)
AAWU Championship (1961)

Awards

Helms Foundation Hall of Fame

Forrest Floyd "Twogie" Twogood (April 29, 1907 – April 26, 1972) was a minor league baseball player, college basketball and baseball coach, and college athletics administrator. He is best known as the head basketball coach at the University of Southern California for 16 seasons, from 1950 to 1966.

Born in Kingsley, Iowa, Twogood was three-sport athlete at Central High School in Sioux City, then played basketball and baseball at the University of Iowa, before being signed by Branch Rickey's St. Louis Cardinals. A left-handed pitcher, he played four seasons of minor league baseball while spending his winters in Los Angeles as an assistant basketball coach at USC under Sam Barry, his coach at Iowa, from 1929 to 1936.[2][3]

After arm trouble led to his retirement from baseball in 1934, Twogood was the head coach at Idaho from 1936 to 1941,[4] and San Francisco for a season (1941-1942).[5][6] While at Idaho, he was also the Vandals' baseball coach (1937–41).[7]

During World War II, Twogood served in the U.S. Navy, then worked in the private sector and also as supervisor of officials in the Pacific Coast Conference.[3] He returned to USC as an assistant under Barry in 1949,[3] and when Barry died of a heart attack in September 1950, Twogood was promoted to head coach[8] and served for 16 seasons. In 22 seasons as a head coach, he compiled a 317-260 (.549) record, with two conference championships and three NCAA tournament appearances, including the Final Four in 1954. After stepping down from coaching in 1966, Twogood was an assistant athletic director at USC. The auditorium at the university's Heritage Hall is named in his honor;[9][10] its bronze plaque reads:

"Athlete and coach, able administrator, dedicated sportsman, man of courage, honor and compassion, Forrest Twogood is synonymous with the athletic heritage of the University of Southern California. He served USC and intercollegiate athletics with brilliance and devotion. The university is proud to express its love and esteem for Twogie by designating this hall forever in his name." [9]

Diagnosed with inoperable lymph gland cancer in late 1971, Twogood died in April 1972 at Glendale Memorial Hospital in the Los Angeles suburb of Glendale, a few days shy of his 65th birthday. He left behind his beloved wife Eleanor, sisters Blanche and Lucille, only and beloved nephew David Stockman,US Naval Academy 1951 Col(Ret)USAF and fighter pilot,and wife Lucia, as well as David and Lucia's children Sidne Ann and Bill Stockman, who loved him dearly [11]

Head coaching record

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Idaho Vandals (Pacific Coast Conference) (1936–1941)
1936–37 Idaho 2-14 2-14 5th
1937–38 Idaho 12-9 12-8 T-3rd
1938–39 Idaho 12-19 1-15 5th
1939–40 Idaho 11-15 3-13 5th
1940–41 Idaho 14-15 4-12 5th
Idaho: 51–72 (.415) 22–62 (.262)
San Francisco Dons (Independent) (1941–1942)
1941–42 San Francisco 14-10
San Francisco: 14–10 (.583)
USC Trojans (Pacific Coast Conference) (1950–1959)
1950–51 USC 21-6 8-4 2nd
1951–52 USC 16-14 4-8 4th
1952–53 USC 17-5 7-5 2nd
1953–54 USC 19-14 8-4 1st NCAA Fourth Place
1954–55 USC 14-11 5-7 3rd
1955–56 USC 14-12 9-7 5th
1956–57 USC 16-12 9-7 4th
1957–58 USC 12-13 8-8 5th
1958–59 USC 15-11 6-6 5th
USC Trojans (Athletic Association of Western Universities) (1959–1966)
1959–60 USC 16-11 5-7 3rd NCAA First Round
1960–61 USC 21-8 9-3 1st NCAA Sweet Sixteen
1961–62 USC 14-11 5-7 T-3rd
1962–63 USC 20-9 6-6 T-3rd
1963–64 USC 10-16 6-9 4th
1964–65 USC 14-12 8-6 3rd
1965–66 USC 13-13 6-8 T-4th
USC: 252–178 (.586) 109–102 (.517)
Total: 317–260 (.549)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ↑ "Hawkeyes Basketball Media Guide". University of Iowa Athletics. December 2011. p. 173. Retrieved November 26, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Forrest Twogood gets coaching job". Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal (Dubuque, IA). United Press. September 15, 1929. p. 17.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Forrest Twogood signs with U.S.C.". (Bend) Bulletin. United Press. August 16, 1949. p. 7.
  4. ↑ "Basketball". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1941. p. 300.
  5. ↑ "San Francisco picks Twogood". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. July 25, 1941. p. 13.
  6. ↑ "Twogood to coach at San Francisco". (Bend) Bulletin. United Press. July 26, 1941. p. 2.
  7. ↑ "Baseball, 1941 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1942. p. 90.
  8. ↑ "Former Idaho cage mentor gets new job". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press. October 3, 1950. p. 8.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 White, Maury (July 10, 2005). "Forrest Twogood, Sioux City, 1987". Des Moines Register. Retrieved October 13, 2013.
  10. ↑ http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/17061341/
  11. ↑ "Forrest Twogood dies of cancer". (Oxnard) Press-Courier. Associated Press. April 27, 1972. p. 35.

External links