Louis Menze

Teams coached: Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa State record: 166-153 (.520)
Overall record: 166-153 (.520)

1928-1947

Louis Edmond Menze
Born June 28, 1894
Died October 7, 1982
Hometown: Kansas City, Missouri
Alma Mater: Warrensburg Teachers College (BA)
Graduated from Central HS in Kansas City, MO then attended Warrensburg Teachers College (now Central Missouri)
- Learned the game of basketball from Forrest “Phog” Allen, who would later be his coaching rival at Kansas
Started coaching at alma mater Central HS, spending nine years there before getting the call from Iowa State
Served as the head coach at Iowa State for a total of 19 seasons, going 166-153 overall
- Took over a Cyclones program that had only finished above .500 a few times in its entire history
- Won his first Big Six title in 1935 and would win a total of four titles across his tenure
- Led the Cyclones to their first-ever NCAA Tournament in 1944, reaching the Final Four
- Also spent five seasons Iowa State’s head baseball coach; finished second in Big Six in 1935
Added athletic director to his responsibilities in 1945 and in 1947, Menze stepped away from coaching to focus on that
- Remained AD until 1958, spending a total of 30 years working at Iowa State
- Inducted into the Iowa State Athletics HOF in 1998 and actually had the HOF named in his honor
Passed away in 1982 at the age of 88 at his home in Ames, IA