Howard G. "Rope" Engleman (November 20, 1919 – January 12, 2011) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 college basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 standout at the University of Kansas

University of Kansas

The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...

 from 1939 to 1941. He was  tall, weighed 170 pounds (82 kg). and played the forward position. As a senior

Senior (education)

Senior is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the 4th year of study .-High school:...

 in 1940–41, Engleman averaged 16.5 points per game and became just the second Jayhawk to be named a Consensus First Team All-American

1941 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The Consensus 1941 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Helms Athletic Foundation, Converse, and Madison Square Garden.-1941...

. Engleman led Kansas to two Big Six Conference regular season championships and as runners-up in the 1940 National Championship

1940 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1940 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the participating champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 20, 1940, and ended with the championship game on March 30 in Kansas City, Missouri...

. The Jayhawks lost to Indiana

Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball

The Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Indiana University . The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the NCAA. The Hoosiers play on Branch McCracken Court at the Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Indiana on the IU...

, 60–42, but Engleman was the tournament's top scorer after scoring 39 points in three games. When asked about the preparations to play against the Hoosiers, Engleman responded:

"We didn't know what to expect because we had never seen Indiana. The only scouting report we had was a letter from a KU alumnus back there [in Indiana]."

After graduating, Engleman joined the Navy

United States Navy

The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...

 and fought in World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. After the war ended, he would become an assistant coach under Phog Allen

Phog Allen

Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American basketball and baseball player, coach of American football, basketball, and baseball, college athletics administrator, and osteopathic physician...

 after he graduated in 1941. In the middle of the 1946–47 season, Allen became sick and was ordered by doctors to rest, and Engleman resumed the remainder of the season as the interim head coach. In the final 14 games of the season, Engleman compiled an 8–6 record.

He had his jersey retired on March 1, 2003.

Personal

Engleman was a native of Arkansas City, Kansas

Arkansas City, Kansas

Arkansas City is a city situated at the confluence of the Arkansas and Walnut rivers in the southwestern part of Cowley County, located in south-central Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,415....

 and graduated from Arkansas City High School in 1937 after leading the Bulldogs to second- and third-place finishes in the state basketball tournament. He got his nickname "Rope" from his blond, curly locks of hair. He served as a lawyer

Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...

 in Salina, Kansas

Salina, Kansas

Salina is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 47,707. Located in one of the world's largest wheat-producing areas, Salina is a regional trade center for north-central Kansas...

, after earning his law degree from the University of Kansas School of Law

University of Kansas School of Law

The University of Kansas School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The University of Kansas Law School was founded in 1893, replacing the earlier Department of Law, which had existed since 1878. The school has more than 50...

.