Kansas State University Athletics
K-State Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1998
- Class:
- 1948
Howard Shannon was the first K-Stater to earn All-America honors from the Helms Foundation.
With Shannon running the show, the 1948 Wildcats won the Big Seven Conference title after finishing dead last the previous season. The squad then went on to finish fourth in the national tournament.
In Shannon’s final two seasons, the Wildcats were 24-6 in league contests. In 1948, the only season his statistics are available, he averaged 9.9 points and made 58 of 66 free throws (.879). He nailed a string of 33 consecutive free throws in his senior campaign, which was an unofficial record at the time. That mark stood as the Kansas State record until the 1946 season when Steve Henson canned 48 straight.
He played two seasons in the NBA with Providence and Boston, averaging 10.8 points for his career, earning Rookie-of-the-year honors with Providence.
He served as an assistant at K-State from 1955-60 under Tex Winter, helping the Wildcats to four conference titles and a No. 1 national ranking in 1959. He also went on to coach the Puerto Rican Olympic Team at the 1960 Rome Olympics.
