Howard Hobson

Howard Hobson (1903-1991)

Teams coached: Southern Oregon Raiders, Oregon Ducks, Yale Bulldogs
Southern Oregon record^: 68-15 (.819)
Oregon record: 212-124 (.631)
Yale record: 121-118 (.506)
Overall record^: 401-257 (.609)

Career Accomplishments:

Awards:

  • NABC Golden Anniversary Award (1987)
  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 1965)
  • National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1947-1956 Yale
1945-1947 Oregon
1935-1944 Oregon
1932-1935 Southern Oregon

Howard Hobson Facts

  • Howard Andrew Hobson
  • Born July 4, 1903
  • Died June 9, 1991
  • Hometown: Portland, Oregon
  • Alma Mater: University of Oregon (BA, 1926) / Columbia University (MA, 1929 & PhD, 1945)
  • After graduating from Franklin HS in Portland, where he played basketball, Hobson went on to star at Oregon
    • Played three seasons for head coach William Reinhart, sharing or winning the PCC North Division each year
  • Started his coaching career at Kelso HS (WA) leading his team to a league title in his first year (1929)
    • Later coached football Cortland Normal School (NY), now known as SUNY-Cortland, and earn his master’s at Columbia
  • Returned to Portland in 1930 to coach basketball at Benson HS, then took over as head coach at Southern Oregon
    • Went 68-15 in three seasons, increasing the win total each year, at the NAIA program
  • Hired by his alma mater in 1935, coaching the Ducks basketball team for a total of 11 seasons
    • His 1939 team won the first ever NCAA Tournament title after winning the PCC (now Pac-12) title
    • Hobson scheduled games on the East coast, making Oregon the first West coast team to travel cross-country to play
    • Also served as the baseball coach at Oregon from 1936-1947
  • Went back East in 1947, becoming the head basketball coach at Yale
    • Was 121-118 over nine seasons with the Bulldogs, winning the league title in 1949
    • Took Yale back West, making them the first ever East Coast team to play at a PCC school
  • After coaching, served in various capacities in and around the game of basketball
    • Spent 12 years on the US Olympic Basketball Committee
    • Served on the National Basketball Rules Committee for four years
  • Inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1965 and the inaugural 2006 class of the College Basketball Hall of Fame
    • Also a member of the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and Portland Metro Hall of Fame
  • Died in 1991 at the age of 87; survived by his wife, Jennie, and son, David

Howard Hobson Coaching Tree

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels