Wildcat Basketball Through the Years
Jan 24, 2005 | General
1902
K-State plays its first game against Haskell.
1904
Future K-State Hall of Famer Mike Ahearn arrives in Manhattan from Amherst College to become the foreman of the newly constructed campus greenhouses.
1905
Kansas State resumes its basketball program after taking a two-year absence and hires C.W. Melick as its first head coach. K-State also picks up its first win by defeating Minneapolis H.S.
1906
Kansas State coaching legend Mike Ahearn takes over as the program’s second head coach. Basketball becomes the third sport Ahearn heads at K-State in addition to baseball and football.
1909
K-State notches its first winning season with a 6-3 record. The Wildcats also top the century mark for the first time in the program’s history defeating Washburn 100-5.
1911
K-State gets its first permanent home as Nichols Gym opens with a capacity of 2,800. Mike Ahearn coaches his last game for Kansas State as the Wildcats defeat Washburn 36-23.
1919
K-State wins the Missouri Valley Conference with a record of 10-2. Guard F.I. Reynolds also becomes the first basketball All-American in school history leading the team and Missouri Valley in scoring.
1926
Clifton “Lefty” Byers, a unanimous all-conference selection and the league’s top scorer paces the Aggies to a second-place finish in the Missouri Valley. After losing two of the first three conference contests, K-State wins eight of their last nine to finish second in the league.
1927
Three sport standout Art “Monk” Edwards leads K-State to a 10-8 record, earning second team all-Missouri Valley Conference honors in hoops, while being named an honorable mention all-conference selection in football and the starting centerfield in baseball.
1933
Three sport All-American and future Kansas Sports and K-State Hall of Fame member Eldon Auker led a young squad to a .500 conference record. Auker, was also named K-State’s Most Outstanding Sportsman for his efforts.
1934
Frank Root takes over for Charles Corsaut who coached the Wildcat basketball team to a 90-80 (.529) record during his 10 seasons. Corsaut’s reign as the Wildcat headman was the longest stint for any Wildcat head coach at the time and is tied for the third longest tenure for a hoops coach all-time.
1940
Jack Gardner begins his first of two stints as the Wildcat headman. Gardner and the Wildcats won only 20 games in three seasons.
1942
The end of Jack Gardner’s three-year reign as Wildcat head coach ends with an 8-10 record. It was the most wins for the Wildcats in five seasons, and just a total of four points in three ballgames kept the Wildcats from a conference championship.
1943
With three players fouling out midway through the second half and holding a 32-20 lead against Nebraska, new head coach Cliff Rock emptied the bench to keep the Wildcats from forfeiting. With an inexperienced group on the floor, the Cornhuskers stormed back, but it was a pair of free throws by Robert Ekblad and Warren Vance, in overtime that gives K-State its lone conference win of the season.
1945
With Oklahoma leading the Wildcats 54-53 and time running out, All-Big Six guard Jay Payton drains a half court shot to upend the Sooners 55-54. The win is the first over the Sooners in four seasons.
1946
Playing with a squad that consisted mostly of WWII veterans and few returning lettermen, K-State opened the season with a 46-31 win over Washburn, but then struggled to an 11-game losing streak.
1947
Jack Gardner returns to K-State and leads the Wildcats to their first winning season in 16 years. The Wildcat improve by 10 games from their 1946 slate going 14-10, overall and 9-2 in Nichols Gymnasium.
1948
Kansas State makes its first appearance in the NCAA Final Four. The Wildcats lose a hard fought game to now Big 12 Conference rival Baylor 60-52. First-team All-American Howie Shannon leads the Wildcats and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team for his efforts.
1950
Ahearn Field House opens on Dec. 9, with the Wildcats defeating Utah State, 66-56. K-State finishes the season 12-1 at home. The $2 million structure has an announced capacity of 11,220, but an Ahearn record 14,028 pile into the Field House to see K-State blast No. 4 Long Island, 85-65.
1951
The Wildcats lead at halftime, but succumb to a talented Kentucky squad, 58-68, in the NCAA Championship game. K-State also ends its season with its first top-5 finish after a 25-4 season.
1952
Gene Wilson a 5-foot-11 guard from Anderson, Ind., becomes K-State’s first African-American basketball player. Wilson played in 24 games while earning a letter and helping Jack Gardner’s club to a third-place national ranking. Dick Knostman is named a first-team All-American after averaging 16.3 ppg from his center position.
1953
After leading the Wildcats to seven consecutive winning seasons and two NCAA Final Fours, Jack Gardner leaves K-State to become head coach at the University of Utah. Long-time Wildcat assistant Tex Winter replaces Gardner as head coach. Dick Knostman becomes K-State’s first back-to-back first-team All-American after scoring 22.7 ppg as senior.
1954
Tex Winter replaces Jack Gardner as the Wildcats head coach. Gardner departs Manhattan for the University of Utah. During his tenure, Gardner guides K-State to a pair of Final Four appearances, including a runner-up finish in 1951. Gardner ends his career with a record of 147-81, third all-time at K-State.
1956
K-State rebounds from a pair of 11-10 seasons to make its first trip to the NCAA Tournament in four seasons. Sophomore center Jack Parr leads K-State in scoring at a 17.4 point-per-game clip en route to a 9-3 conference mark and a Big Seven Title.
1958
K-State makes its third trip to the NCAA Final Four knocking off Oscar Robertson and second-ranked Cincinnati in an 83-80 double-overtime first-round thriller. The Big O dropped 30 points on the Wildcats, but fouled out in the crucial moments of the game as K-State came back to get the win. The Wildcats finish the season 22-5 and win the final Big Seven Conference crown. Junior center Bob Boozer leads the Wildcats scoring 20.1 points per contest on his way to earning first-team All-America honors. Boozer is just one of three Wildcats to be named a first-team All-American, along with teammates Jack Parr and Roy DeWitz. The UPI names Coach Tex Winter the National Coach of the Year.
1959
Kansas State ends the season ranked No. 1 in the national rankings, but loses to No. 5 Cincinnati in the NCAA Regional Finals. It was a battle of future Olympic teammates as K-State’s Bob Boozer and Cincinnati’s Oscar Robertson tangled for the second time in two seasons. Boozer outplayed Robertson scoring 32 points and grabbing 13 rebounds to Robertson’s 24 points and 17 boards, but the Bearcats moved on to the Final Four. The Wildcats end the year 25-2 and go a perfect 14-0 in the first season of the Big Eight Conference.
1960
Bob Boozer becomes K-State’s first basketball Olympian helping the U.S.A. to the gold medal. The Omaha, Neb., native averaged 21.9 points (tops on the KSU all-time chart) and 10.7 rebounds in his three years in Manhattan (1956-59).
1961
The Wildcats, who posted a 21-4 regular-season record, work their way to the NCAA Regional Final in Lawrence, Kan., but drop a hard-fought contest to second-ranked Cincinnati, 69-64, after downing Houston in the opening round of the tournament.
1964
Two-time All-Big Eight selection Willie Murrell leads the Wildcats on an improbable venture to their fourth Final Four. The Cats knocked off Texas Western and No. 5 Wichita State to reach Kansas City. Murrell averages 25.3 ppg during the Wildcat march in the Big Dance.
1966
At 7-1, Nick Pino becomes the tallest player in K-State history. The center leads the Wildcats in scoring at 10.9 ppg and rebounding with seven boards per contest.
1968
On Dec. 13th, Nichols Gymnasium - a K-State basketball landmark - is torched, while many theories remain about the source of the fire, the crime, to this day, remains unsolved. The Wildcats held a 230-134 advantage in their 39 years as tenants.
1969
Lowell “Cotton” Fitzsimmons takes over for Tex Winter, who leaves to become the head coach at the University of Washington.
1970
Cotton Fitzsimmons, who leads the Wildcats to the Big Eight title, breaks K-State tradition and adds gold to the Wildcat color scheme. It marks the first time that a color other than purple, white or silver has donned a Wildcat uniform.
1971
Cotton Fitzsimmons makes the jump to the NBA as coach of the Kansas City Kings. He is replaced by Southern Illinois head coach Jack Hartman.
1972
After finishing with its first losing record in five seasons, K-State completes an eight-game turnaround finishing 19-9, including a 12-2 first-place mark in the Big Eight. A Silver Lake, Kan., native Lon Kruger is named Big Eight newcomer of the year after scoring 9.9 points per contest from his guard position.
1973
Big Eight Player-of-the-Year Lon Kruger leads the Wildcats to a seventh-place national ranking, the Big Eight Title and a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA Tournament.
1974
The K-State program suffers a tragic loss as freshman Dean Harris dies. During his freshman season, the talented Harris averaged 7.4 points and 6.5 boards per contest helping to lead a senior laden club to a 19-8 mark and an NCAA birth. Harris’ memory lives on in the Wildcat program as the Dean Harris Freshman of the Year award is given to the Wildcat who exemplifies the dedication, enthusiasm, basketball ability and team play Harris displayed.
1975
Oh, if there only would have been a three-point shot back then. The “Purple Popguns” of Chuckie Williams and Big Eight Newcomer-of-the-Year Mike Evans lead K-State to the NCAA East Regional Final in Providence, R.I. Williams scores 35 in the contest, but Syracuse outlasted the Wildcats 95-87 to move on to the Final Four.
1976
Chuckie Williams is named a first-team All-American after averaging 20.9 points per contest in leading the Wildcats to their second straight 20-win season.
1977
In one of the most controversial games in K-State history, No. 7 Marquette slips by K-State 67-66. Mike Evans scores 16 points, playing all 40 minutes as the Warriors move on in their national championship run. Mike Evans is named Big Eight Player of the Year after averaging 18.3 points per game leading the Wildcats to Big Eight regular season and post-season titles.
1980
Rolando Blackman is named K-State’s second basketball Olympian. A three-time Big Eight Defensive-Player-of-the Year, Blackman could do it all. His 1,844 points are second all-time at K-State.
1981
It’s the shot heard round the Sunflower State as Rolando Blackman drills a 16-foot baseline jumper to knock second-ranked Oregon State out of the NCAA Tournament. For his efforts, Blackman becomes the first Wildcat featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. K-State continues its improbable march through the Big Dance, upsetting No. 19 Illinois before falling to No. 6 North Carolina in the West Regional Final, 82-68.
1982
K-State makes its second Sweet 16 appearance in as many seasons as the Wildcats defeat Northern Illinois and Arkansas in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament. Tyrone Adams led the Wildcat march as he scored 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting to upset the 12th-ranked Razorbacks 65-64.
1983
Les Craft swats 39 opponent shots to become K-State’s all-time leading shot blocker with 101 career rejections.
1986
K-State legend Jack Hartman calls it quits after 16 seasons of leading the Wildcats. Hartman ends his career as the Wildcats’ winningest head coach amassing a record of 295-169 during his time in Manhattan. “The Sergeant” Norris Coleman, K-State’s 25-year-old freshman earns first-team all-conference accolades after 21.8 points a contest, the most ever, by a Wildcat freshman.
1987
Led by three junior college transfers, one true freshman, and new head coach Lon Kruger, K-State makes its first trip back to the NCAA Tournament in five seasons. Norris Coleman (20.7), Mitch Richmond (18.6) and Will Scott (13.9) become the most prolific scoring trio of all-time for the Wildcats.
1988
K-State comes within a blink of an eye of its fifth Final Four as the Wildcats drop a 71-58 decision to intra-state rival Kansas. During the Wildcats four game run through the “Big Dance”, K-State avenges a 29-point loss to the Purdue Boilermakers earlier in the year, by handing the No. 1 seed a 73-70 defeat. The 1988 squad also tied the 1959 team with a school record 25-win season. Mitch Richmond is named a first team All-American and becomes K-State’s third Olympian.
1989
The Wildcats remove any doubt about being an NCAA Tournament team when Tony Massop follows a Steve Henson miss as time expires to beat No. 7 Missouri 76-75.
1990
“Tip in” Tony Massop helps K-State to a last second win during the first round of the Great Alaska Shootout, as the senior follows in Steve Henson’s half-court desperation shot as time expires to give the Wildcats a 71-70 win over Florida State. K-State also upends its first No. 1 ranked team in Bramlage Coliseum, as they beat Missouri 65-58 on ESPN. After four seasons as the head coach, Lon Kruger leaves K-State to take over the head position at the University of Florida. Former assistant under Kruger and Marshall University head coach Dana Altman replaces Kruger
1993
The Wildcats complete yet another improbable season going 19-11 and earning a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats fall just short of the Big Eight postseason crown losing to Missouri, 68-56, in the championship game.
1994
K-State upsets No. 1-ranked Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse 68-64. Askia Jones scores 62 points in a 115-77 blowout of Fresno State in the quarterfinals of the NIT. Ski knocked down 14-of-18 three-pointers in the contest, including an NCAA record 11-of-14 in the second half. The win helps the K-State advance to the NIT Final Four in Madison Square Garden in New York.
1996
After being picked for last in the Big Eight, K-State shocks the conference and sports writers by going 7-7 and earning a NCAA Tournament birth. Mitch Richmond is selected to Dream Team III and becomes K-State’s second hoops gold medal winner.
2001
The Wildcats knock of a pair of Top 25 teams - Iowa and Missouri - en route to an 11-18 campaign under first-year head coach Jim Wooldridge. K-State culminates the season with a thrilling first round upset of Nebraska in the Big 12 Tournament courtesy of Travis Reynolds’ buzzer beater.
2002
Kansas State notches a number of impressive wins, including an upset of No. 9 Oklahoma State. The victory was the Wildcats’ first over a top-10 team since 1994. K-State wraps up Jim Wooldridge’s second campaign in Manhattan with a 13-16, and ties for seventh in a rugged Big 12, but not before a thrilling overtime victory vs. Baylor in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament.
2005
Kansas State collected its first winning season in six seasons, as the Wildcats complete the season with a 17-12 overall record. The 17 wins were the highest of the Jim Wooldridge era and the highest since the 1998-99 squad posted a 20-13 overall record and advanced to the Postseason NIT. K-State becomes just the second Big 12 school since the inception of the league to have a winning record and at least six conference wins and not make it to either postseason tournaments (NIT or NCAA). Seven of the team's 10 conference losses came by 10 points or less, including two on last second shots and two in overtime.
2006
Kansas State posted its second consecutive winning season with a 15-13 overall record, as the Jim Wooldridge era came to an end. The team proved to be one of the most competitive teams in the nation, as 15 of their 28 games were decided by five points or less. The Wildcats lost nine of those 15 games, including six by two points or less, which ranked second nationally. The season was highlighted by a 59-55 win over archrival Kansas in Lawrence on Jan 14, which snapped the school's 31-game losing streak to the Jayhawks. It was the Wildcats' first win in the series since knocking off top-ranked KU, 68-64, on Jan. 17, 1994. After the season, the university hired former Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins as the program's 21st all-time head coach.
2007
Under the direction of legendary head coach Bob Huggins, Kansas State produced its most successful team since joining the Big 12, as the Wildcats posted a 23-12 overall record and a fourth-place finish in the league with a 10-6 mark. It was the program's first 20-win season since 1998-99 and the most wins in a single-season since the 1987-88 squad tallied 25 en route to advancing to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The team also posted 10 conference wins for the first time in the Big 12 era and for the first time since the Mitch Richmond-led 'Cats earned 11 Big Eight wins in 1987-88. During the course of the season, the program snapped nationall-ranked Texas' 22-game home court winning streak (its only home loss of the season), swept the season series from rivals Missouri (just second time since 1982), Iowa State (first time since 1999) and Colorado (first time since 1992) and defeated Oklahoma for the first time since 1999. For its efforts, K-State received its first postseason bid since 1999, as it received an invitation to the MasterCard NIT. The squad beat Vermont, 59-57, in the first round before falling to DePaul, 70-65, in round two. After the season, Huggins returned to coach his alma mater West Virginia and the school selected his top assistant, Frank Martin, to become the 22nd head coach.
