Kansas City Athletic Club
Encyclopedia
The Kansas City Athletic Club is an athletic club
and gentlemen's club
in Kansas City
, Kansas
. Until 1997, it had been located across the Kansas River
in downtown
Kansas City
, Missouri
. Notable members have included President
Harry S. Truman
and basketball coach Phog Allen
.
teams.
in St. Louis
. Phog Allen
was one of the club's team's star players. The Blue Diamonds defeated both the University of Kansas
in its 1898-99 inaugural season and the University of Missouri
in its 1906-07 inaugural season
.
In the 1920s, at a time when universities, corporate sponsored teams, and private clubs all competed in the same bracket, the club played in six national championship games:
In February 1917, the Kansas City Athletic Club planned to construct a new clubhouse in Downtown Kansas City
, but was experiencing serious difficulties in obtaining financing. In March 1917, the board proposed a merger with the Kansas City Club
. But after a joint board meeting of the two clubs, the Kansas City Club's board rejected the proposal.
Instead, in 1923, the club acquired an unfinished, 22-story building at Eleventh Street and Baltimore Avenue in Downtown Kansas City. The club hired architect firm Hoit, Price & Barnes, and completed the building.
In 1932, however, during the Great Depression
, the Continental Hotel Company took over the 22-story clubhouse, leaving only the six topmost floors devoted to the club itself. For a period in the 1960s, the hotel contained a branch of the Playboy Club
. In 1982, the building was remodeled and renamed as the Mark Twain Tower, an office building. The club retaining the rights to the top six floors.
Then, in 1997, facing dwindling membership and financial difficulties, the club left Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and moved across the Kansas River
to a large house at 845 Armstrong in Kansas City
, Kansas
. Today, its primary sports activity is handball
.
Athletic club
An athletic club may be*A private club which provides sports facilities to members.*A sports club dedicated to athletics, often professional and fielding competitive teams...
and gentlemen's club
Gentlemen's club
A gentlemen's club is a members-only private club of a type originally set up by and for British upper class men in the eighteenth century, and popularised by English upper-middle class men and women in the late nineteenth century. Today, some are more open about the gender and social status of...
in Kansas City
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. Until 1997, it had been located across the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
in downtown
Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City is the central business district of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It is located between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east to Troost Avenue as defined by officials of the...
Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Notable members have included President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
and basketball coach 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...
.
Founding
The club was founded in 1887 by Arthur E. Stillwell as the Fairmount Cycling Club, a bicycling club in Fairmount Park in Kansas City. In 1893, the club changed its name to the Kansas City Athletic Club. In the early 20th century, it was nationally known for fielding championship Amateur Athletic UnionAmateur 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...
teams.
Amateur basketball
Beginning in the early 1900s, the club's amateur basketball team, the Blue Diamonds, became an nationally known powerhouse, notably after defeating the Buffalo Germans in 1905 - the de facto national basketball champion who had won the championship at the 1904 World's FairLouisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the Saint Louis World's Fair, was an international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States in 1904.- Background :...
in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. 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...
was one of the club's team's star players. The Blue Diamonds defeated both 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...
in its 1898-99 inaugural season and the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
in its 1906-07 inaugural season
1906-07 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team
The 1906–07 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented University of Missouri in the 1906–07 college basketball season. The team was led by first year head coach Dr. Isadore Anderson. The captain of the team was H.A. Henley. This was Missouri's first season of collegiate basketball. They...
.
In the 1920s, at a time when universities, corporate sponsored teams, and private clubs all competed in the same bracket, the club played in six national championship games:
- 1921 - 1st, 42-36 (defeating Southwest Kansas CollegeSouthwestern College (Kansas)Southwestern College is a four-year private college affiliated with the United Methodist Church located in Winfield, Kansas, United States. It was founded in 1885 and graduated its first class in 1889. In addition to its campus programs, it offers online programs.-Academics:The main campus is a...
) - 1922 - 2nd, 42-28 (losing to Lowe and Campbell Athletic GoodsLowe and Campbell Athletic GoodsLowe and Campbell Athletic Goods was a sports equipment manufacturer and retailer based in Kansas City, Missouri until 1931 when it was acquired by Wilson Sporting Goods....
of Kansas City) - 1923 - 1st, 31-18 (defeating Hillyard, Inc.Hillyard, Inc.Hillyard, Inc. is a privately owned cleaning products company in St...
Shine Alls) - 1924 - 2nd, 30-26 (losing to Butler UniversityButler UniversityButler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
) - 1926 - 2nd, 25-20 (losing to Hillyard)
- 1928 - 2nd, 25-23 (losing to Cook's Painter BoysCook Paint and Varnish CompanyCook Paint and Varnish Company was a paint and varnish manufacturer in the Kansas City metropolitan area from 1913 until 1991.-History:The paint factory was established in 1913 at 21st and Broadway in Kansas City by Charles R. Cook...
)
Rise and decline
Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City is the central business district of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It is located between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east to Troost Avenue as defined by officials of the...
, but was experiencing serious difficulties in obtaining financing. In March 1917, the board proposed a merger with the Kansas City Club
Kansas City Club
The Kansas City Club, founded in 1882 and located in the Library District of Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, is the oldest existing gentlemen's club in Missouri. The Club began admitting women members in 1975. Along with the River Club on nearby Quality Hill, it is one of two surviving...
. But after a joint board meeting of the two clubs, the Kansas City Club's board rejected the proposal.
Instead, in 1923, the club acquired an unfinished, 22-story building at Eleventh Street and Baltimore Avenue in Downtown Kansas City. The club hired architect firm Hoit, Price & Barnes, and completed the building.
In 1932, however, during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the Continental Hotel Company took over the 22-story clubhouse, leaving only the six topmost floors devoted to the club itself. For a period in the 1960s, the hotel contained a branch of the Playboy Club
Playboy Club
The Playboy Club initially was a chain of nightclubs and resorts owned and operated by Playboy Enterprises. The first club opened at 116 E. Walton Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, United States, on February 29, 1960. Each club generally featured a Living Room, a Playmate Bar, a Dining Room...
. In 1982, the building was remodeled and renamed as the Mark Twain Tower, an office building. The club retaining the rights to the top six floors.
Then, in 1997, facing dwindling membership and financial difficulties, the club left Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and moved across the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
to a large house at 845 Armstrong in Kansas City
Kansas City, Kansas
Kansas City is the third-largest city in the state of Kansas and is the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, and is the third largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The city is part of a consolidated city-county government known as the "Unified...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. Today, its primary sports activity is handball
American handball
American handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...
.
Notable members
- Tusten AckermanTusten AckermanArthur Tusten Ackerman was an American basketball player in the early days of college and semi-professional basketball.Ackerman, a 6'3 forward/center from Lawrence, Kansas, played for coach Phog Allen at Kansas from 1922–1925...
, early basketball star - Phog AllenPhog AllenForrest Clare "Phog" Allen was an American basketball and baseball player, coach of American football, basketball, and baseball, college athletics administrator, and osteopathic physician...
, Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball coach, known as the "Father of Basketball Coaching" - Forrest DeBernardiForrest DeBernardiForrest S. "Red" DeBernardi was a well-known collegiate basketball player in the 1920s. Standing 6 ft. 1 inches tall, DeBernardi was one of the best centers of his era, but played all five positions. Born in Nevada, Missouri, he attended University of Kansas from 1920 to 1921, but transferred to...
, early basketball star - John KuckJohn KuckJohn Henry Kuck was an American athlete who mainly competed in the shot put.Born in Wilson, Kansas, Kuck competed for the United States at the 1928 Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam, Netherlands where he won the gold medal in the men's shot put event.-References:*...
, shot putShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
olympian - Dutch LonborgDutch LonborgArthur C. "Dutch" Lonborg was an American collegiate basketball and football coach.-Basketball:The Gardner, Illinois native coached for 23 years at McPherson College, Washburn College, and Northwestern University...
, prolific college basketball coach - Fay MoultonFay Moulton-External links:*...
, Olympic sprinter, football player and coach, and lawyer - Lee Talbott, track & field athlete
- Harry S. TrumanHarry S. TrumanHarry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
, 33rd President of the United States - Alfred Michael "Chief" VenneAlfred Michael "Chief" VenneAlfred Michael Venne was an Ojibwa Native American. He was educated at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Pennsylvania. He later became an educator, athletic manager and coach, administrator and mentor to countless young men....
, basketball coach and Indian activist - George WilliamsGeorge Williams (basketball)George Williams, ironically nicknamed "Shorty" even though he was tall, was an American basketball center who played for the Missouri Tigers. He was a two-time All-American and was named the Helms National Player of the Year as a senior in 1920–21. That season, Williams scored 17.2 points per...
, early basketball star
See also
- List of American gentlemen's clubs
- Kansas City ClubKansas City ClubThe Kansas City Club, founded in 1882 and located in the Library District of Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, USA, is the oldest existing gentlemen's club in Missouri. The Club began admitting women members in 1975. Along with the River Club on nearby Quality Hill, it is one of two surviving...
- Kansas City Country ClubKansas City Country ClubThe Kansas City Country Club, founded in 1896, is a country club in Mission Hills, Kansas, USA, an affluent suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. It is the club for which the Country Club District and the Country Club Plaza of Kansas City are named...