Kansas basketball: Ranking the top coaches in program history
No. 6: William O. Hamilton (1909–1919)
William O. Hamilton took over the head coaching role in 1909 after previously coaching at William Jewell. Interestingly, Hamilton’s predecessor and successor was the same person: Phog Allen. Here are some of Hamilton’s stats and accolades during his time as the Jayhawks’ head coach:
- 125–59 record
- 5 MVIAA titles
Hamilton led the Jayhawks to five conference titles in the newly formed Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the predecessor of the Big 8. Hamilton coached multiple teams to only one-loss seasons, with the best seasons coming in 1910 and 1914.
Without the formation of a season-ending tournament or any kind of championship, Hamilton’s squads never had an opportunity to win a title. Sadly, the first postseason championship tournament wouldn’t happen until 1939.
Hamilton’s 1913-14 team in particular had the second-highest winning percentage in the country of teams that played at least 15 games that season.
Hamilton coached multiple All-Americans including Tommy Johnson, Ralph Sproull, and future hall of fame coach Dutch Lonborg, who was also an athletic director at Kansas.
After leaving the program to Phog Allen, Hamilton operated as a car dealer in Lawrence, Kansas until his death in 1951.