Arthur Tusten Ackerman was an American

United States

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

 basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player in the early days of college and semi-professional basketball.

Ackerman, a 6'3 forward/center

Center (basketball)

The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...

 from Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...

, played for 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...

 at Kansas from 1922–1925. At KU, he was a starter on the 1922–23 Jayhawk team that was retroactively named national champions by 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...

 and was named an All-American

NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The NCAA Men's Basketball All-American teams are honorary teams made up of those NCAA basketball players voted the best in the country by a variety of organizations.-History:...

 by that same organization for both 1924

1924 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The 1924 College Basketball All-American team, as chosen by the Helms Foundation. The player highlighted by gold indicates that he was chosen as the Helms Foundation Player of the Year....

 and 1925

1925 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans

The 1925 College Basketball All-American team, as chosen by the Helms Foundation. The player highlighted by gold indicates that he was chosen as the Helms Foundation Player of the Year....

.

Following his collegiate career, Ackerman played 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 for the Kansas City Athletic Club

Kansas City Athletic Club

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.-Founding:The club was...

, where he was named an AAU All-American

AAU Men's Basketball All-Americans

The Amateur Athletic Union Men's Basketball All-Americans were players who competed in the Amateur Athletic Union between 1920–21 and 1967–68 and were chosen as the best players in the league during their respective seasons. Founded in 1888, the Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest...

 in 1925 and 1926.

Ackerman's jersey has been retired by 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...

 and hangs in Allen Fieldhouse

Allen Fieldhouse

Allen Fieldhouse is an indoor arena at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The arena, named in honor of Dr. Forrest C. "Phog" Allen, who coached the university's men's basketball team for 39 years, is one of college basketball's most historically significant and prestigious buildings...

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