Clarence Iba

Clarence Iba (1909-1997)

Teams coached: Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa record^: 137-147 (.482)
Overall record^: 137-147 (.482)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  1  (1955)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  1  (1955)
• NCAA Tournament Final Four:  0
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  1  (1953)
• Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion:  1  (1955)

Awards:

• Missouri Valley Coach of the Year:  1  (1955)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1949-1960	Tulsa
1936-1937	Panhandle A&M
1935-1936	Oklahoma A&M (asst/freshmen)

Clarence Iba Facts

• Clarence Victor Iba
• Born April 20, 1909
• Died April 21, 1999
• Hometown: Easton, Missouri
• Alma Mater: Northwest Missouri State Teacher’s College (BA, 1933)
• His older brother is Hall of Fame coach Henry “Hank” Iba, who coached Clarence at Northwest Missouri State and later won two NCAA National Championships at Oklahoma A&M (now State)
• One of his first coaching jobs was as the freshman coach at Oklahoma A&M where his brother had become the head men’s basketball coach in 1934
• Clarence also coached at the high school level in Missouri and Illinois, compiling a total HS recored of 221-61
• Went 14-6 in one season as the head coach at Panhandle A&M (1936-37)
• Hired in 1949 to be the first full-time basketball coach at Tulsa, taking over at a school that had never had any relevance as a major basketball program
  • Coached the Golden Hurricane for 11 seasons, highlighted by the 1954-55 season when his team finished 20-8 (8-2), won the MVC title and reached the Sweet Sixteen
  • In 1952, his Tulsa team defeated a #16 Oklahoma State team coached by his brother
  • Left Tulsa in 1960 with 137 wins, then the most in program history (since surpassed)
• Inducted into the Tulsa Hall of Fame (c/o 1994) and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame (c/o 1992)
• After his coaching career, he worked in the private sector as a marketing executive in Fort Worth, TX
• Passed away in 1997 a day after his 88th birthday; survived by his wife, Dorothy, and their three children
  • One son, Gene Iba, played at Tulsa and later coached Houston Baptist, Baylor and Pittsburg State
  • His nephew, Moe Iba, was the head coach at TCU, Nebraska and Memphis State

Clarence Iba Coaching Tree

• Gene Iba (Pittsburg State, Baylor, Houston Baptist)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only