List of Helms Foundation National Champions

List of Helms Foundation National Champions in Basketball

The Helms Athletic Foundation was founded in 1936 by Paul Helms and Bill Schroeder, with the latter selecting national championship teams and All-American teams in both college football and basketball. In the 1940s, Schroeder used a variety of different research elements to retroactively award “Helms Foundation National Championships” in both sports (dating back to 1900-01 in basketball and 1883 in football). While the titles are not officially recognized by the NCAA, they are often recognized by the individual schools, players and coaches that were honored.

Schroder continued to select national champions and All-Americans until 1982. After the Foundation was dissolved, all of its historical holdings were absorbed by the Amateur Athletic Foundation (now known as the LA84 Foundation).

For the other major retroactive national champion organization, see: Premo-Porretta National Champions

◊ Helms (post-Tournament) selection differs from that season’s NCAA Tournament champion

Season Pre-Tournament National Champion Head Coach
1900-01 Yale none
1901-02 Minnesota Louis Cooke
1902-03 Yale (2) none
1903-04 Columbia none
1904-05 Columbia (2) none 
1905-06 Dartmouth none
1906-07 Chicago Joseph Raycroft
1907-08 Chicago (2) Joseph Raycroft (2)
1908-09 Chicago (3) Joseph Raycroft (3)
1909-10 Columbia (3) Harry A. Fisher
1910-11 St. John’s Claude Allen
1911-12 Wisconsin Walter Meanwell
1912-13 Navy Louis Wenzell
1913-14 Wisconsin (2) Walter Meanwell (2)
1914-15 Illinois Ralph Jones
1915-16 Wisconsin (3) Walter Meanwell (3)
1916-17 Washington State J. Fred Bohler
1917-18 Syracuse Edmund Dollard
1918-19 Minnesota (2) Louis Cooke (2)
1919-20 Penn Lon Jourdet
1920-21 Penn (2) Edward McNichol
1921-22 Kansas F.C. “Phog” Allen
1922-23 Kansas (2) F.C. “Phog” Allen (2)
1923-24 North Carolina Bo Shepard
1924-25 Princeton Albert Wittmer
1925-26 Syracuse (2) Lew Andreas
1926-27 Notre Dame George Keogan
1927-28 Pittsburgh Doc Carlson
1928-29 Montana State Schubert Dyche
1929-30 Pittsburgh (2) Doc Carlson (2)
1930-31 Northwestern Dutch Lonborg
1931-32 Purdue Ward “Piggy” Lambert
1932-33 Kentucky Adolph Rupp
1933-34 Wyoming Willard Witte
1934-35 NYU Howard Cann
1935-36 Notre Dame (2) George Keogan (2)
1936-37 Stanford John Bunn
1937-38 Temple James Usilton

 

Season Post-Tournament National Champion Head Coach
1938-39 Long Island Clair Bee
1939-40 USC Sam Barry
1940-41 Wisconsin (3) Bud Foster
1941-42 Stanford (2) Everett Dean
1942-43 Wyoming (2) Everett Shelton
1943-44 Army Edward Kelleher
1944-45 Oklahoma A&M Henry Iba
1945-46 Oklahoma A&M (2) Henry Iba (2)
1946-47 Holy Cross Alvin “Doggie” Julian
1947-48 Kentucky (2) Adolph Rupp (2)
1948-49 Kentucky (3) Adolph Rupp (3)
1949-50 CCNY Nat Holman
1950-51 Kentucky (4) Adolph Rupp (4)
1951-52 Kansas (3) F.C. “Phog” Allen (3)
1952-53 Indiana Branch McCracken
1953-54 Kentucky (5) ◊ Adolph Rupp (5)
1954-55 San Francisco Phil Woolpert
1955-56 San Francisco (2) Phil Woolpert (2)
1956-57 North Carolina (2) Frank McGuire
1957-58 Kentucky (6) Adolph Rupp (6)
1958-59 California Pete Newell
1959-60 Ohio State Fred Taylor
1960-61 Cincinnati Ed Jucker
1961-62 Cincinnati (2) Ed Jucker (2)
1962-63 Loyola (IL) George Ireland
1963-64 UCLA John Wooden
1964-65 UCLA (2) John Wooden (2)
1965-66 Texas Western Don Haskins
1966-67 UCLA (3) John Wooden (3)
1967-68 UCLA (4) John Wooden (4)
1968-69 UCLA (5) John Wooden (5)
1969-70 UCLA (6) John Wooden (6)
1970-71 UCLA (7) John Wooden (7)
1971-72 UCLA (8) John Wooden (8)
1972-73 UCLA (9) John Wooden (9)
1973-74 NC State Norm Sloan
1974-75 UCLA (10) John Wooden (10)
1975-76 Indiana (2) Bob Knight
1976-77 Marquette Al McGuire
1977-78 Kentucky (7) Joe B. Hall
1978-79 Michigan State Jud Heathcote
1979-80 Louisville Denny Crum
1980-81 Indiana (3) Bob Knight (2)
1981-82 North Carolina (3) Dean Smith

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Postseason Tournaments: NCAA Tournament | NIT | CBI | CIT

Pre-Tournament Champions: Premo-Porretta Power Poll | Helms Athletic Foundation