Skip to content

Skip to navigation

advertisement

History: Phog Allen Letters

By Bill Mayer, Journal-World contributing editor
Special to KUsports.com

Read the letter to the 1950-51 Jayhawk 'Basketeers' »

Basketball immortal Phog Allen was noted for his rhetoric, both verbal and written, and he often wrote to friends and athletes on a wide variety of subjects.

During World War II, for instance, Allen regularly wrote a "team letter" to ex-Jayhawks in military and naval service. Many treasured the inspirational communications and wish they had saved them, considering how legendary their coach became. To date, none of Phog's war letters have surfaced, but the search goes on.

The Journal-World is indebted to Bill Hougland, one-time KU and Olympic star, for a long letter Allen wrote to his basketeers prior to the 1950-51 season.

Hougland started on the 1952 KU national college chammpionship team, then played on the all-victorious U.S. Olympic team of 1952 and 1956. He now lives in Lawrence in retirement.

The 1950-51 season was the junior campaign for the heralded crew of Clyde Lovellette, Bill Lienhard, Bob Kenney and Hougland. They finished second to Kansas State in the conference and K-State went on to the national finals, losing to Kentucky. The next year, of course, Kansas won it all, including seven berths on the Olympic team.

Those who read many of Allen's missives are amused, amazed and awestruck at the depth and versatility of the man's cognizance of society.

Phog Allen was an extremely versatile man of many accomplishments. He was an osteopath who entered that field after early coaching experiences. He determined that the way to win basketball games was to get good players and then keep them in the best physical shape possible.

Allen was a legend in the field of treatment of athletic injuries and benefitted a long list of high-profile performers. He also had a successful private osteopathic practice and many he treated, the famous and otherwise, contend he had a "magic touch" for such ailments as bad backs, knees and ankles. He said he applied the same treatments to "civilians" as he did to his athletes.

Among the more celebrated people Allen treated successfully were baseball stars Johnny Mize, Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams.

A famed, indefatigable Lawrence civic leader, he headed up the local draft board, led one successful philanthropic venture after another, served as KU athletic director and football coach briefly and was the driving force behind the building of the Memorial Stadium football venue in 1920 and 1921.

His 1920 KU team had tied mighty Nebraska 20-all, and that gave Phog the brainstorm of celebrating by building a sizable stadium, one that still stands and now accommodates some 51,000.

He was instrumental in getting basketball included as an Olympic sport for the first time in 1936 and his vision was the guiding influence to establishment of the NCAA national basketball tournament that has evolved into the multi-billion March Madness enterprise of today.

Noted for his expertise in basketball, athletic management and sports medicine, Allen was a widely read and traveled man who had opinions on virtually everything. That is reflected clearly in the 1950-51 pre-season letter to his basketeers.