John Oldham (basketball)
Encyclopedia
John Oldham is a former college player, athletic director and basketball coach who gave the idea of Western Kentucky University
's "Red Towel" logo, an iconic towel used by former coach E.A. Diddle.
As a player at Western Kentucky, Oldham was a United Press and Associated Press All-America
n in 1949. He scored 1,006 points in his collegiate career. He later played for the Fort Wayne Pistons of the National Basketball Association
.
Oldham coached Western Kentucky's basketball team from 1964 to 1971, taking over for Diddle who retired in 1964. Oldham finished 146-41 with a 78% winning percentage, leading them to four NCAA tournaments and an NIT berth while establishing the Hilltopper's place atop the Ohio Valley Conference
standings.
He led the Hilltoppers to the 1971 NCAA Tournament
where they went to the Final Four and finished third overall (though the NCAA made them forfeit their standing).
Western Kentucky University
Western Kentucky University is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, USA. It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier....
's "Red Towel" logo, an iconic towel used by former coach E.A. Diddle.
As a player at Western Kentucky, Oldham was a United Press and Associated Press All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n in 1949. He scored 1,006 points in his collegiate career. He later played for the Fort Wayne Pistons of 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...
.
Oldham coached Western Kentucky's basketball team from 1964 to 1971, taking over for Diddle who retired in 1964. Oldham finished 146-41 with a 78% winning percentage, leading them to four NCAA tournaments and an NIT berth while establishing the Hilltopper's place atop the Ohio Valley Conference
Ohio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
standings.
He led the Hilltoppers to the 1971 NCAA Tournament
1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 1971 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 25 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 13, 1971, and ended with the championship game on March 27 in Houston, Texas...
where they went to the Final Four and finished third overall (though the NCAA made them forfeit their standing).