Jimmy McNatt
Encyclopedia
James Carlos "Jimmy" McNatt (December 19, 1918 – December 23, 2000) was an All-American basketball player for the Oklahoma Sooners
and the AAU’s Phillips 66ers
. At Oklahoma, McNatt led his team to the first-ever NCAA Final Four in 1939, and at Phillips 66
, McNatt guided the 66ers (also called the "Oilers") to four consecutive AAU national championships (1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946). He was a two-time All-American at Oklahoma (1939, 1940) and a four-time AAU All-American for Phillips 66 (1943, 1944, 1945, 1946). The speedy player came to be known by his nickname “Scat” McNatt, a moniker originally traced back to the term “Boy Scats” which sportswriters had used to describe McNatt’s fast-breaking, sophomore-led 1937-38 Oklahoma Sooners basketball team. McNatt grew up in Norman, Oklahoma
, attended Norman High School
, and then opted to stay in his hometown to play basketball for the University of Oklahoma
.
During his collegiate career at Oklahoma, McNatt broke the Big Six Conference single-game scoring record on two occasions. As a junior, he set the mark with 29 points against Iowa State University
on February 18, 1939. Then as a senior, he broke his own record with 30 points against Nebraska
on February 9, 1940. Another of Oklahoma’s conference rivals in the Big Six was the University of Kansas
, coached by the legendary Phog Allen
. McNatt’s Sooners teams were coached by Hugh McDermott
and Bruce Drake
and won back-to-back Big Six Conference championships in McNatt's junior (1938-39) and senior (1939-40) seasons. McNatt was the conference's leading scorer during the 1939-40 season.
In the 1939 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
, McNatt led his team to the first-ever Final Four. He topped all scorers with 12 points in the national quarterfinals (“Western Regional Semifinal”) as the Sooners defeated Utah State 50-39. In the national semifinal (“Western Regional Final”) against the University of Oregon
, McNatt was again the Sooners’ leading scorer with 12 points as the Sooners fell to the eventual-champion Ducks. Both games were played in San Francisco at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition
. To advance to the Western Regional, the Big Six Conference Champion Sooners first had to defeat Missouri Valley Conference Champion Oklahoma A&M, coached by Hank Iba and led by Jesse Renick
, on a neutral court in Oklahoma City one week earlier.
After graduating from Oklahoma, McNatt moved on to a career in Amateur Athletic Union
basketball, an early basketball league that preceded the National Basketball Association
. Though runners up in the 1942 AAU National Tournament with a team featuring McNatt and former Stanford star Hank Luisetti
, Phillips 66 won the next four consecutive AAU National Championships, led by the play of McNatt and Gordon Carpenter
, both of whom were selected to the AAU All-America teams during these four seasons. In 1943 and 1944, the 66ers defeated Denver’s American Legion team 57-40 and then 50-43 in the tournament-final games. In the 1945 championship game, a 47-46 win over Denver Ambrose, McNatt led Phillips 66 in scoring with 15 points, outdueling Denver star Robert Gruenig
. In McNatt’s final season, Phillips 66 defeated the San Diego Dons by the score of 45-34 in the AAU championship game.
McNatt was inducted into the Helms Athletic Foundation
's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.
After his basketball career, McNatt worked as a petroleum engineer for the Phillips Petroleum Company, and held numerous supervisory and management positions at Phillips for his entire career, retiring July 1, 1980.
Oklahoma Sooners men's basketball
-1908-1980:The Sooners enjoyed moderate success on the court during this era, posting only 16 losing records in their first 72 seasons. They were coached by 9 different coaches during this period, beginning with Bennie Owen , and ending with Dave Bliss in 1980...
and the AAU’s Phillips 66ers
Phillips 66ers
The Phillips 66ers basketball team was an amateur squad sponsored and run by the Phillips Petroleum Company. The team, which began play in 1919, participated in the Amateur Athletic Union, the nation’s premier basketball league before the National Basketball Association...
. At Oklahoma, McNatt led his team to the first-ever NCAA Final Four in 1939, and at Phillips 66
Phillips 66
Phillips 66 is a brand of gasoline and service station in the U.S. It is owned by the ConocoPhillips Company.Phillips 66 will also be the name of the future downstream company created when ConocoPhillips repositions its integrated assets and businesses into two independent, publicly-traded...
, McNatt guided the 66ers (also called the "Oilers") to four consecutive AAU national championships (1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946). He was a two-time All-American at Oklahoma (1939, 1940) and a four-time AAU All-American for Phillips 66 (1943, 1944, 1945, 1946). The speedy player came to be known by his nickname “Scat” McNatt, a moniker originally traced back to the term “Boy Scats” which sportswriters had used to describe McNatt’s fast-breaking, sophomore-led 1937-38 Oklahoma Sooners basketball team. McNatt grew up in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
, attended Norman High School
Norman High School
Norman High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school in Norman, Oklahoma with a steady enrollment of 1,945 students. It is accredited by North Central Association, the Oklahoma State Department of Education and the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association...
, and then opted to stay in his hometown to play basketball for the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
.
During his collegiate career at Oklahoma, McNatt broke the Big Six Conference single-game scoring record on two occasions. As a junior, he set the mark with 29 points against Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
on February 18, 1939. Then as a senior, he broke his own record with 30 points against Nebraska
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is a public research university located in the city of Lincoln in the U.S. state of Nebraska...
on February 9, 1940. Another of Oklahoma’s conference rivals in the Big Six was 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...
, coached by the legendary 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...
. McNatt’s Sooners teams were coached by Hugh McDermott
Hugh McDermott
Hugh McDermott was the head basketball coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1922 to 1938. During his tenure, he compiled a record of 185-106. He also won the Missouri Valley Conference Title. Prior to his coaching days, McDermott was also a star player for the Oklahoma team while in college. He...
and Bruce Drake
Bruce Drake
Bruce Drake was a college men's basketball coach. The Gentry, Texas native was head coach at the University of Oklahoma between 1938 and 1955, compiling a 200-181 record. He also coached the Air Force team to a 34-14 record in 1956Prior to coaching, he was also a star for Hugh McDermott's Oklahoma...
and won back-to-back Big Six Conference championships in McNatt's junior (1938-39) and senior (1939-40) seasons. McNatt was the conference's leading scorer during the 1939-40 season.
In the 1939 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
1939 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page.-See also:* 1939 NAIA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament...
, McNatt led his team to the first-ever Final Four. He topped all scorers with 12 points in the national quarterfinals (“Western Regional Semifinal”) as the Sooners defeated Utah State 50-39. In the national semifinal (“Western Regional Final”) against the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, McNatt was again the Sooners’ leading scorer with 12 points as the Sooners fell to the eventual-champion Ducks. Both games were played in San Francisco at the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition
Golden Gate International Exposition
The Golden Gate International Exposition , held at San Francisco, California's Treasure Island, was a World's Fair that celebrated, among other things, the city's two newly-built bridges. The San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge was dedicated in 1936 and the Golden Gate Bridge was dedicated in 1937...
. To advance to the Western Regional, the Big Six Conference Champion Sooners first had to defeat Missouri Valley Conference Champion Oklahoma A&M, coached by Hank Iba and led by Jesse Renick
Jesse Renick
Jesse Bernard "Cab" Renick was an American basketball player who competed in the 1948 Summer Olympics.Jesse "Cab" Renick was A 6'2" Guard/Forward for Marietta High School in Marietta Oklahoma....
, on a neutral court in Oklahoma City one week earlier.
After graduating from Oklahoma, McNatt moved on to a career in Amateur Athletic Union
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...
basketball, an early basketball league that preceded the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Though runners up in the 1942 AAU National Tournament with a team featuring McNatt and former Stanford star Hank Luisetti
Hank Luisetti
Angelo "Hank" Luisetti was an American college men's basketball player and one of the great innovators of the game. In an era that featured the traditional two-handed set shot, Luisetti developed the running one-handed shot...
, Phillips 66 won the next four consecutive AAU National Championships, led by the play of McNatt and Gordon Carpenter
Gordon Carpenter
Gordon "Shorty" Carpenter was an American basketball player, and part of gold medal winning American basketball team at the 1948 Summer Olympics....
, both of whom were selected to the AAU All-America teams during these four seasons. In 1943 and 1944, the 66ers defeated Denver’s American Legion team 57-40 and then 50-43 in the tournament-final games. In the 1945 championship game, a 47-46 win over Denver Ambrose, McNatt led Phillips 66 in scoring with 15 points, outdueling Denver star Robert Gruenig
Robert Gruenig
Robert F. "Ace" Gruenig was a United States amateur basketball player during the 1930s and 1940s.The 6 ft. 8 in. Gruenig is considered as one of the game's first great big men. The Chicago, Illinois native led his high school, Crane Tech, to the Chicago Public High School League championship...
. In McNatt’s final season, Phillips 66 defeated the San Diego Dons by the score of 45-34 in the AAU championship game.
McNatt was inducted into the Helms Athletic Foundation
Helms Athletic Foundation
The Helms Athletic Foundation was an athletic foundation based in Los Angeles, founded in 1936 by Bill Schroeder and Paul Helms. It put together a panel of experts to select National Champion teams and make All-America team selections in a number of college sports including football and basketball...
's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.
After his basketball career, McNatt worked as a petroleum engineer for the Phillips Petroleum Company, and held numerous supervisory and management positions at Phillips for his entire career, retiring July 1, 1980.