John Wiethe

John Wiethe (1912-1989)

Teams coached: Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati record: 106-47 (.693)
Overall record: 106-47 (.693)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  0
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  1  (1951)
• MAC Regular Season Champion:  5  (1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1946-1952

Cincinnati

John Wiethe Facts

• John Albert Wiethe
• Born October 17, 1912
• Died May 3, 1989
• Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
• Alma Mater: Xavier University (BA, 1934)
• The Cincinnati-native played football, baseball and basketball at Xavier, the latter for coach Cameron Crowe
• Played four seasons with the Detroit Lions, earning All-Pro honors in 1939 and 1940
• Became the head coach at Cincinnati in 1946, coaching the Bearcats for six seasons
  • Wiethe’s teams won the MAC title in five-straight years, the first five years of MAC competition
  • Won 20+ games in both 1948-49 and 1949-50 and in the 1951, the Bearcats played in the NIT
  • Inducted into the UC Athletic Hall of Fame (class of 2006)
• Stepped away from coaching in 1952 but continued to live in Cincinnati working in politics and law
  • For 34 years, Wiethe served as chairman of the Hamilton County (OH) Democratic Party
• Passed away in 1989 at the age of 76; survived by three daughters, a son and eight grandchildren

John Wiethe Coaching Tree

• Jim Holstein (Ball State, Saint Joseph’s IN)
• George Smith (Cincinnati)