K-State Mourns the Passing of Steve Douglas
Apr 30, 2022 | Men's Basketball
The Manhattan native played for the Wildcats from 1957-60 for head coach Tex Winter
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Steve Douglas, a member of Kansas State's 1958 Final Four team and a starter on two Big Eight Championship squads, recently passed away (April 26) at the age of 83 in Marina del Rey, Calif.
Born on September 2, 1938, in Hastings, Nebraska, Douglas played three seasons (1957-60) for Hall of Fame head coach Tex Winter, helping the Wildcats during a period of great success that included a 63-17 (.788) record, the 1958 Final Four and three consecutive Big Eight Conference regular-season titles (1957-58, 1958-59 and 1959-60). He was part of teams that finished among the top-20 all three seasons, including Top 5 finishes in 1957-58 (No. 3 AP and No. 4 UPI) and 1958-59 (No. 1 AP and UPI).
Douglas was a regular starter for K-State in 1958-59 and 1959-60, helping the Wildcats to 41 wins, a pair of Big Eight titles and a trip to the 1959 NCAA Midwest Regional Final, where they lost 85-75 to perennial power Cincinnati in a top-5 matchup. As a junior in 1958-59, he started 24 of 27 games for arguably the greatest Wildcat team of all-time, which posted a 25-2 overall record and finished the regular season at No. 1 in both major polls. His senior season of 1959-60, he helped the Wildcats tie Kansas for the conference title before losing in overtime to the Jayhawks in an NCAA Tournament play-in game. The team finished 16th nationally.
For his playing career, Douglas averaged 5.6 points on more than 40 percent shooting and 77.3 percent shooting from the free throw line with 3.9 rebounds in 64 games played, including 40 starts.
Douglas grew up in Manhattan after his father, Lou, took a job as a professor in the political science department in 1949 at K-State, where he remained for 28 years until his retirement in 1977. An early civil rights activist, the Lou Douglas Lecture Series at K-State is named in his father's honor and centers on social justice issues.
Upon his graduation from K-State, Douglas enrolled at the University of Illinois where he earned a master's degree while becoming an expert on political systems of the South Pacific. He and his wife, Sara, lived in Indonesia in the early 1960s, as he managed the Ford Foundation's Jakarta's guest house and taught English at the Indonesian American Friendship Institute. The couple returned to Illinois, where Douglas earned his Ph.D. at the university and became a tenured professor in the political science department until his retirement.
While at Illinois, Douglas became the first head coach of the women's basketball team, serving two years (1974-76) with the Fighting Illini and posting a 25-21 record before returning to teaching full-time at the university. He also coached the women's national team in Malaysia.
Douglas is survived by his second wife, Vianne, of whom he married in 2008 as well as three daughters (Kate, Liz and Lauren). His first wife, Sara, died in 2003.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Born on September 2, 1938, in Hastings, Nebraska, Douglas played three seasons (1957-60) for Hall of Fame head coach Tex Winter, helping the Wildcats during a period of great success that included a 63-17 (.788) record, the 1958 Final Four and three consecutive Big Eight Conference regular-season titles (1957-58, 1958-59 and 1959-60). He was part of teams that finished among the top-20 all three seasons, including Top 5 finishes in 1957-58 (No. 3 AP and No. 4 UPI) and 1958-59 (No. 1 AP and UPI).
Douglas was a regular starter for K-State in 1958-59 and 1959-60, helping the Wildcats to 41 wins, a pair of Big Eight titles and a trip to the 1959 NCAA Midwest Regional Final, where they lost 85-75 to perennial power Cincinnati in a top-5 matchup. As a junior in 1958-59, he started 24 of 27 games for arguably the greatest Wildcat team of all-time, which posted a 25-2 overall record and finished the regular season at No. 1 in both major polls. His senior season of 1959-60, he helped the Wildcats tie Kansas for the conference title before losing in overtime to the Jayhawks in an NCAA Tournament play-in game. The team finished 16th nationally.
For his playing career, Douglas averaged 5.6 points on more than 40 percent shooting and 77.3 percent shooting from the free throw line with 3.9 rebounds in 64 games played, including 40 starts.
Douglas grew up in Manhattan after his father, Lou, took a job as a professor in the political science department in 1949 at K-State, where he remained for 28 years until his retirement in 1977. An early civil rights activist, the Lou Douglas Lecture Series at K-State is named in his father's honor and centers on social justice issues.
Upon his graduation from K-State, Douglas enrolled at the University of Illinois where he earned a master's degree while becoming an expert on political systems of the South Pacific. He and his wife, Sara, lived in Indonesia in the early 1960s, as he managed the Ford Foundation's Jakarta's guest house and taught English at the Indonesian American Friendship Institute. The couple returned to Illinois, where Douglas earned his Ph.D. at the university and became a tenured professor in the political science department until his retirement.
While at Illinois, Douglas became the first head coach of the women's basketball team, serving two years (1974-76) with the Fighting Illini and posting a 25-21 record before returning to teaching full-time at the university. He also coached the women's national team in Malaysia.
Douglas is survived by his second wife, Vianne, of whom he married in 2008 as well as three daughters (Kate, Liz and Lauren). His first wife, Sara, died in 2003.
How to follow the 'Cats: For complete information on K-State men's basketball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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