This page is devoted to PHS basketball players who played college basketball.
Any PHS player who played college ball is welcome to submit their
pictures and history for inclusion.
See next two pages for Bruce Holman most famous PHS BB alumni.
Any PHS player who played college ball is welcome to submit their
pictures and history for inclusion.
See next two pages for Bruce Holman most famous PHS BB alumni.
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MY BASKETBALL CAREER Part Two
by Richard Pfister - Class of 1942
Most of the sports fans in the Northeast Kansas counties who followed high school basketball assumed that I would play college basketball even though I was small for college ball. After the season ended in 1942, I received letters from several Kansas colleges wanting me to come to play basketball. One of those letters was from Phog Allen. Brue Holman told me that Jack Gardner (the K-State coach) had told him to arrange for me to come to Manhattan for a visit. Before such a visit could be arranged, Bruce joined the Air Force and Gardner joined the U. S. Navy.
Before I got the letter from Phog Allen, Coach Corrigan called me into his office one day and asked me what school I would choose if I had to decide right then. I said I had decided on KU, so he then showed me a letter he had received from Phog Allen who asked for Corrigan’s evaluation of me. In the letter Phog quoted from a letter he received from a scout or fan who saw me play in the state tournaments in my junior and senior years. The quote was that “Pfister was easily the best ball handler, the best shooter, and the best ball hawk of any of the players in the Class B state tournament.” He was urging Phog to recruit me. I am certain that Corrigan gave me a strong recommendation.
Shortly thereafter, I received a letter from Phog inviting me to come to the KU Relays in April as guest of the basketball program. He explained that they invited a few good high school seniors to attend the relays but to come in the morning to shoot around with the KU team which would put on some drills. Corrigan drove me down to Lawrence for the event. There were probably 15 or 20 seniors at the event, most of them from large high schools. During the shoot around, Phog come over and put his arm around me to say that I should not be concerned that I came from a small school. He named several of KU’s players over the years who had come from small schools. It was fun watching the drills and scrimmage put on by the KU varsity players.
I did, of course, enroll at KU in the fall of 1942. I signed up for 17 hours in the engineering school, including math and chemistry. I did start going to freshmen basketball practice in late October. Freshmen were not eligible to play on the varsity team. We practiced from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and were worked pretty hard. When I got home from practice, I was too tired to study. I did not realize at that time that virtually all athletes took the minimum number of hours to be considered fully-enrolled students (12 hours). After a couple of weeks, I realized that I could not keep up in my course work while spending two hours every evening practicing basketball. That was partly because I was trying to get A’s in my courses. My basketball career was pretty much over.
I did play a few games with the Rock Chalk co-op intramural team (we never practiced) in late 1942 and scored a lot of points in those games. I learned later that the athletic department caught some of the intramural games on film and that Phog Allen showed a reel with a few pictures of me while making some of his talks around the state. When I returned to KU in the fall of 1945, I did not give one thought to trying out for the basketball team. All I wanted to do was finish my degree as soon as possible.
In reflecting on my basketball career, my impression is that I was an overachiever. I did not have the body build of most good athletes. I had a small-boned frame, was about six feet tall, and never weighed more than 125 pounds. My mother used to tell me that others said that I had toothpicks for legs. My strengths as a player were my quickness, my accurate shooting, and my smarts. I did not have large hands but had a good feel for the ball even though I could not grip as some guys could. I was not a fast runner but was quick in that I could usually get around my guard for an open shot or a drive to the basket. I also had quick reflexes and good peripheral vision. And I always tried to outsmart the opponents. Years later at Carroll Sprague’s 50th wedding anniversary, I was talking to a second cousin, Ronald Pfister, who was quite a bit younger than me. He said the Corrigan frequently mentioned something I had done in high school to emphasize the important of trying to outsmart your opponent.
by Richard Pfister - Class of 1942
Most of the sports fans in the Northeast Kansas counties who followed high school basketball assumed that I would play college basketball even though I was small for college ball. After the season ended in 1942, I received letters from several Kansas colleges wanting me to come to play basketball. One of those letters was from Phog Allen. Brue Holman told me that Jack Gardner (the K-State coach) had told him to arrange for me to come to Manhattan for a visit. Before such a visit could be arranged, Bruce joined the Air Force and Gardner joined the U. S. Navy.
Before I got the letter from Phog Allen, Coach Corrigan called me into his office one day and asked me what school I would choose if I had to decide right then. I said I had decided on KU, so he then showed me a letter he had received from Phog Allen who asked for Corrigan’s evaluation of me. In the letter Phog quoted from a letter he received from a scout or fan who saw me play in the state tournaments in my junior and senior years. The quote was that “Pfister was easily the best ball handler, the best shooter, and the best ball hawk of any of the players in the Class B state tournament.” He was urging Phog to recruit me. I am certain that Corrigan gave me a strong recommendation.
Shortly thereafter, I received a letter from Phog inviting me to come to the KU Relays in April as guest of the basketball program. He explained that they invited a few good high school seniors to attend the relays but to come in the morning to shoot around with the KU team which would put on some drills. Corrigan drove me down to Lawrence for the event. There were probably 15 or 20 seniors at the event, most of them from large high schools. During the shoot around, Phog come over and put his arm around me to say that I should not be concerned that I came from a small school. He named several of KU’s players over the years who had come from small schools. It was fun watching the drills and scrimmage put on by the KU varsity players.
I did, of course, enroll at KU in the fall of 1942. I signed up for 17 hours in the engineering school, including math and chemistry. I did start going to freshmen basketball practice in late October. Freshmen were not eligible to play on the varsity team. We practiced from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and were worked pretty hard. When I got home from practice, I was too tired to study. I did not realize at that time that virtually all athletes took the minimum number of hours to be considered fully-enrolled students (12 hours). After a couple of weeks, I realized that I could not keep up in my course work while spending two hours every evening practicing basketball. That was partly because I was trying to get A’s in my courses. My basketball career was pretty much over.
I did play a few games with the Rock Chalk co-op intramural team (we never practiced) in late 1942 and scored a lot of points in those games. I learned later that the athletic department caught some of the intramural games on film and that Phog Allen showed a reel with a few pictures of me while making some of his talks around the state. When I returned to KU in the fall of 1945, I did not give one thought to trying out for the basketball team. All I wanted to do was finish my degree as soon as possible.
In reflecting on my basketball career, my impression is that I was an overachiever. I did not have the body build of most good athletes. I had a small-boned frame, was about six feet tall, and never weighed more than 125 pounds. My mother used to tell me that others said that I had toothpicks for legs. My strengths as a player were my quickness, my accurate shooting, and my smarts. I did not have large hands but had a good feel for the ball even though I could not grip as some guys could. I was not a fast runner but was quick in that I could usually get around my guard for an open shot or a drive to the basket. I also had quick reflexes and good peripheral vision. And I always tried to outsmart the opponents. Years later at Carroll Sprague’s 50th wedding anniversary, I was talking to a second cousin, Ronald Pfister, who was quite a bit younger than me. He said the Corrigan frequently mentioned something I had done in high school to emphasize the important of trying to outsmart your opponent.
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Barnard Williams, Class of 1945 Receives Recognition
while playing for Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia
Hiawatha Daily World February 8, 1951
Stars For Emporia
Bernard ( Bernie) Williams, son of Mr. Mrs. W.G. Williams of Hiawatha, has been an outstanding stellar performer on the cage crew of Kansas State Teachers College this season. In a game last week against the Pittsburg Gorillas with the score tied at 48-48, Bernie put on a one-man scoring exhibition that saw him personally accounting for 12 points in the last eight minutes of the battle, hitting from all over the court and icing a win for his team. He was a star player for Johnnie Corrigan’s Powhattan Red Devils in 1944, 1945 when his parents lived in the powhattan community.
while playing for Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia
Hiawatha Daily World February 8, 1951
Stars For Emporia
Bernard ( Bernie) Williams, son of Mr. Mrs. W.G. Williams of Hiawatha, has been an outstanding stellar performer on the cage crew of Kansas State Teachers College this season. In a game last week against the Pittsburg Gorillas with the score tied at 48-48, Bernie put on a one-man scoring exhibition that saw him personally accounting for 12 points in the last eight minutes of the battle, hitting from all over the court and icing a win for his team. He was a star player for Johnnie Corrigan’s Powhattan Red Devils in 1944, 1945 when his parents lived in the powhattan community.
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Letter at Emporia
Hiawatha Daily World, Mar 24, 1938
Submitted by Ron Pfister
Sprague, Hauber Letter
Emporia - Lester Hauber, Norman Sprague, Powhattan, are among the 11 men to receive varsity basketball letters at Emporia this year. Hauber who had served 2 previous years as a squadsman at the Emporia School, saw action in nearly all of the game this winter until his knee was injured, keeping him out of the last games of the season. Sprague, altho only a freshman, also saw action in almost every contest and is expected to be one of Coach Kutninks mainstays next year. After a disasterous start which found them only 2 wins and 7 losses at the seasons midway point, the Kutnink men suddenly found themselves clicking, won 6 or the 8 games played during the last half of the schedule. Five of the 6 victories came in succession, 2 were scored over the central conference champions, Southwestern.
Hiawatha Daily World, Mar 24, 1938
Submitted by Ron Pfister
Sprague, Hauber Letter
Emporia - Lester Hauber, Norman Sprague, Powhattan, are among the 11 men to receive varsity basketball letters at Emporia this year. Hauber who had served 2 previous years as a squadsman at the Emporia School, saw action in nearly all of the game this winter until his knee was injured, keeping him out of the last games of the season. Sprague, altho only a freshman, also saw action in almost every contest and is expected to be one of Coach Kutninks mainstays next year. After a disasterous start which found them only 2 wins and 7 losses at the seasons midway point, the Kutnink men suddenly found themselves clicking, won 6 or the 8 games played during the last half of the schedule. Five of the 6 victories came in succession, 2 were scored over the central conference champions, Southwestern.
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Jerry Draney class of 1952 played two years at
Kansas State University under Jack Gardner and Tex Winters
Kansas State University under Jack Gardner and Tex Winters
Kansas State Wildcat Freshman Squad 1953
Varsity Coach Jack Gardiner back row left.
Freshman Coach Dobbie Lambert second row left.
Ed Head Assistant Freshman Coach second row left.
Jerry Draney Second Row third from right.
Varsity Coach Jack Gardiner back row left.
Freshman Coach Dobbie Lambert second row left.
Ed Head Assistant Freshman Coach second row left.
Jerry Draney Second Row third from right.
Kansas State Varsity 1953-54
Tex Winter Varsity Coach back row right.
Dobbie Lambert Assistant Coach back row left.
Jerry Draney #5 front row 3rd from right
Tex Winter Varsity Coach back row right.
Dobbie Lambert Assistant Coach back row left.
Jerry Draney #5 front row 3rd from right