Edgar Diddle

Edgar Allen Diddle (March 12, 1895 – January 2, 1970) was an American college men's basketball coach. He is known for coaching at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky from 1922 to 1964. Diddle became the first coach in history to coach 1,000 games at one school. Diddle was known as one of the early pioneers of the fast break and for waving a red towel around along the sidelines. During games he would wave, toss, and chew on this towel, and even cover his face in times of disappointment. His red towel is now part of WKU's official athletic logo. Diddle experienced only five losing seasons in 42 years.[1]

Edgar Diddle
Biographical details
Born(1895-03-12)March 12, 1895
Gradyville, Kentucky
DiedJanuary 2, 1970(1970-01-02) (aged 74)
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Playing career
Football
1917Centre
1919–1920Centre
Basketball
1917Centre
1919–1920Centre
Position(s)Halfback (football)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Basketball
1922–1964Western Kentucky
Football
1922–1928Western Kentucky
Head coaching record
Overall759–302 (basketball)
TournamentsBasketball
3–4 (NCAA)
7–9 (NIT)
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 1972 (profile)
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2006

Early life

He was born near Gradyville, Kentucky.[2] Diddle played basketball and football for Centre College and was a member of their 1919 undefeated basketball team and 1919 undefeated football team.[3] He was a halfback on the football team.[4] After college, he coached basketball at Monticello High School, where he guided the team to the Kentucky State Tournament semi-finals, and then Greenville High School, which played in a regional tournament at Bowling Green. During the tournament, he came to the attention of officials at Western Kentucky who offered him the coaching position at the college.[5]

Career at Western Kentucky

He became Western Kentucky Hilltoppers basketball coach in 1922. Diddle's Western Kentucky teams claimed 32 conference championships; played in 13 national postseason tournaments (an impressive total considering that there was no national tournament for the first 15 years of his tenure); won 20+ games eighteen different times (including 10 consecutive); became the first team from the South to participate in the Olympic Trials; the first Kentucky team to play in the NCAA Tournament and National Invitation Tournament; and were nationally ranked numerous times. In 1942 he led the Hilltoppers to the national championship game. His 1948 team finished 3rd nationally and the 1954 team finished 4th. Diddle's teams led the NCAA in victories six seasons and had the highest winning percentage in 1948.[6] When he retired in 1964, he had won a then record 759 games.

While Diddle was best known for coaching men's basketball, he also coached football (1922–1928), baseball (1923–1957) and women's basketball at Western.

Legacy
An image of E.A. Diddle Arena.

Diddle was responsible for breaking a color barrier at the college when he recruited the first African American basketball players, Clem Haskins and Dwight Smith, in the early 1960s.[7]

E. A. Diddle Arena, the basketball venue at WKU, built in 1963, is named for him. For the last six years of his life, Diddle was a fixture at the arena, even leading cheers. During a 1968 game against Dayton, he jumped on top of a press table to lead the students in cheers. When a Dayton sportswriter told him to get down, Diddle snapped, "What do you mean I can't get on top of this table? This is my damn gym!".[8]

Hall of Fame

Coach Diddle has been inducted into the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame,[9] The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame,[10] the Western Kentucky University Athletic Hall of Fame,[11] the Centre College Athletic Hall of Fame,[12] and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.[13]

Head coaching record

Men's basketball

[14]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Independent) (1922–1926)
1922–23 Western Kentucky 12–2
1923–24 Western Kentucky 9–9
1924–25 Western Kentucky 8–6
1925–26 Western Kentucky 10–4
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1926–1948)
1926–27 Western Kentucky 12–7
1927–28 Western Kentucky 10–7
1928–29 Western Kentucky 8–10
1929–30 Western Kentucky 4–12
1930–31 Western Kentucky 11–3
1931–32 Western Kentucky 15–81st KIAC
1932–33 Western Kentucky 16–61st KIAC
1933–34 Western Kentucky 28–81st KIAC 1st SIAA
1934–35 Western Kentucky 24–31st KIAC
1935–36 Western Kentucky 26–41st KIACNational Olympics
1936–37 Western Kentucky 21–21st KIAC 1st SIAA
1937–38 Western Kentucky 30–31st KIAC 1st SIAANIBT * (withdrew / forfeit)
1938–39 Western Kentucky 22–31st KIAC 1st SIAA
1939–40 Western Kentucky 24–61st KIAC 1st SIAANCAA Elite Eight
1940–41 Western Kentucky 22–41st SIAA
1941–42 Western Kentucky 29–51st KIAC 1st SIAANIT Runner-up
1942–43 Western Kentucky 24–31st KIACNIT Quarterfinals
1943–44 Western Kentucky 13–9
1944–45 Western Kentucky 17–10
1945–46 Western Kentucky 15–19
1946–47 Western Kentucky 25–41st KIAC 1st SIAA
1947–48 Western Kentucky 28–21st KIAC
NCAA Annual Team Champions		NIT 3rd Place
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Ohio Valley Conference) (1948–1964)
1948–49 Western Kentucky 25–48–21stNIT Quarterfinals
1949–50 Western Kentucky 25–68–01stNIT Quarterfinals
1950–51 Western Kentucky 19–104–44thNCT 1st Round
1951–52 Western Kentucky 26–511–11stNIT Quarterfinals
1952–53 Western Kentucky 25–68–22ndNIT Quarterfinals
1953–54 Western Kentucky 29–39–11stNIT 4th Place
1954–55 Western Kentucky 18–108–21st
1955–56 Western Kentucky 16–127–3T-1st
1956–57 Western Kentucky 17–99–1T-1st
1957–58 Western Kentucky 14–115–53rd
1958–59 Western Kentucky 16–108–42nd
1959–60 Western Kentucky 21–710–21stNCAA Sweet Sixteen
1960–61 Western Kentucky 18–89–3T-1st
1961–62 Western Kentucky 17–1011–11stNCAA Sweet Sixteen
1962–63 Western Kentucky 5–163–97th
1963–64 Western Kentucky 5–163–118th
Western Kentucky: 759–302121–51
Total:759-302

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

BOLD indicates lead the NCAA in victories.[15]

Baseball

[16]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Independent) (1923–1926)
1923 Western Kentucky 10–2
1924 Western Kentucky 11–2
1925 Western Kentucky 9–10
1926 Western Kentucky 9–8
1927 Western Kentucky 9–4
1928 Western Kentucky 15–1State Champions
1929 Western Kentucky 9–4State Champions
1930 Western Kentucky 3-0
1931 Western Kentucky No Team
1932 Western Kentucky 4–2
1933 Western Kentucky 7–5
1934 Western Kentucky 8–3
1935 Western Kentucky 9–2
1936 Western Kentucky 4–3
1937 Western Kentucky 8–7
1938 Western Kentucky 4–10
1939 Western Kentucky 6–10
1940 Western Kentucky 7–6
1941 Western Kentucky 9–6
1942 Western Kentucky 4–5
1942–45 Western Kentucky No Team
1946 Western Kentucky 9–0
1947 Western Kentucky 5–6
1948 Western Kentucky 4–10
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Ohio Valley Conference) (1949–1957)
1949 Western Kentucky 4–5-1
1950 Western Kentucky 6–7
1951 Western Kentucky 13–5
1952 Western Kentucky 11–31st
1953 Western Kentucky 8–2-11st
1954 Western Kentucky 9–7
1955 Western Kentucky 4–7
1956 Western Kentucky 5–7-1
1957 Western Kentucky 10–6
Total:232-155-3

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Football

[17]

Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding Bowl/playoffs
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (Independent) (1922–1928)
1922 Western Kentucky 9–1
1923 Western Kentucky 5–4
1924 Western Kentucky 4–5
1925 Western Kentucky 3–5–1
1926 Western Kentucky 4–4–1
1927 Western Kentucky 5–4
1928 Western Kentucky 8–1State Champions
Western Kentucky: 38–24–2
Total:38–24–2

Women's basketball

[18]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Western Kentucky Lady Toppers basketball (Independent) (1922–1924)
1922–23 Western Kentucky 5–3State Champions
1923–24 Western Kentucky 6–3
Western Kentucky: 11–6
Total:11-6

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References
  1. Harrison, Lowell (1987). Western Kentucky University. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813116204.
  2. Holl, R.E. (2015). Committed to Victory: The Kentucky Home Front During World War II. Topics in Kentucky History. University Press of Kentucky. p. pt270. ISBN 978-0-8131-6564-6. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  3. "Edgar Allen Diddle". Western Kentucky University Alumni. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  4. Frank G. Weaver (1919). "Come On, You Praying Kentucians". Association Men. 45: 416.
  5. Ruby, Earl (1979). Red Towel Territory : A History of Athletics at Western Kentucky University. American National Bank and Trust Co.
  6. "E.A. Diddle". E.A. Diddle College Record. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  7. Haskins, Chapman reflect on special WKU squads from 1965-66, '66-67, By ZACH GREENWELL The Bowling Green Daily News Feb 20, 2016, retrieved 2 July 2020
  8. "The Story of Legendary WKU Basketball Coach E.A. Diddle". Western Kentucky University. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  9. "E A Diddle". Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  10. "Edgar A. Diddle". The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  11. "Edgar Diddle". Western Kentucky University Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  12. "Ed Diddle". Centre College Athletic Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  13. "Edgar Diddle". The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  14. 2019-2020 WKU Basketball Media Guide retrieved 21 April 2020
  15. "E.A. Diddle". E.A. Diddle College Record. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  16. "2020 WKU Baseball Media Guide" (PDF). Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  17. "2019 WKU Football Media Guide" (PDF). Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  18. "2019-20 WKU Women's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Western Kentucky University Athletics. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
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