Moose Krause

Moose Krause (1913-1992)

Teams coached: Saint Mary’s Cardinals, Holy Cross Crusaders, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Saint Mary’s (MN) record^: 46-52 (.469)
Holy Cross record: 11-14 (.440)
Notre Dame record: 98-48 (.671)
Overall record^: 155-114 (.576)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  0
  • NIT Championships:  0
  • NIT Appearances:  0

Awards:

  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 1976)
  • National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2006)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1946-1951 Notre Dame
1942-1944 Notre Dame
1939-1942 Holy Cross
1934-1939 Saint Mary’s (MN)

Moose Krause Facts

  • Edward Walter Kriaučiūnas
  • Born February 2, 1913
  • Died December 11, 1992
  • Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
  • Alma Mater: University of Notre Dame (BA, 1934)
  • Born in Chicago to Lithuanian parents, Americanized his name to “Krause” in high school when his football coach could not pronounce “Kriaučiūnas”
  • Went on to Notre Dame, where he ran track and played basketball, baseball and football for the Irish
    • Was a center on the basketball team for three seasons under head coach George Keogan
      • A three-time All-American, he was later inducted into both the Naismith Memorial HOF (c/o 1976) and the inaugural 2006 class of the National Collegiate HOF
    • Also played tackle on the football team for College Football HOF coach Heartley “Hunk” Anderson
  • After ND, Krause became the head football and basketball coach at Saint Mary’s in Winona, MN
    • Went 46-52 in five seasons on the hardwood (program was not at the “Division I” level)
  • Moved on to Holy Cross in 1939, served as a line coach for the football team and head basketball coach
    • In three short years with the basketball program, Krause’s teams were 11-14
  • Returned to alma mater Notre Dame in 1942, to be a line coach for the Irish football team
    • Served as head basketball coach for part of the 1943-44 season, then again from 1946-51
      • In between, he served in the US Marines and spent 14 months in the South Pacific during WWII
    • Was 98-48 during that tenure, finishing above .500 in every season he was at the helm
    • Became assistant AD at the school in 1948 and a year later moved up to athletic director
  • Stepped away from coaching in 1951 to focus solely on his administrative career
    • Served as AD at Notre Dame through his retirement in 1981
    • During that time, Notre Dame won three football national titles and had three Heisman winners
      • Oversaw the hiring of Hall of Fame coaches Ara Parseghian and Dan Devine
    • The school’s basketball team went to 18 NCAA Tournaments and reached the Final Four in 1978

Moose Krause Coaching Tree

  • Johnny Dee (Notre Dame, Alabama)
  • Charles Wolf (Detroit Pistons, Cincinnati Royals, Villa Madonna)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at all NCAA levels, as Saint Mary’s (MN) was not at the highest level during Krause’s tenure there (now Division III)