Inductees
Maurice John
June 17, 1919—October 15, 1974
"He made everyone feel that without them, the wheel wouldn't go around." - Willie McCarter
Maurice E. “Maury” John was a basketball coach at Drake University and Iowa State University. John is the all-time wins leader at Drake and led the Bulldogs to the NCAA Final Four in 1969. In his 28-year coaching career, John had a 528–214 record. He died of cancer at age 55 in 1974, while coaching at Iowa State.
John was born in Sweet Springs, Missouri. He attended William Jewell College for two years before transferring to Central Missouri State University, graduating in 1941 with a B.S. in Education. He later earned his M.A. in Education at the University of Missouri.
After graduating from college, John coached at Union High School in Union, Missouri, for a year. He then served in the Air Force during World War II. During this time, he coached the Lubbock, Texas Air Force Base basketball team. After his discharge in 1946, John was named head coach at Moberly Junior College.
John began his collegiate coaching career establishing the basketball program at Moberly Junior College. He compiled a 285–58 record (.831) for Moberly in 12 seasons from 1946 to 1958. John led Moberly to consecutive NJCAA National Championships in 1954 and 1955. He was followed at Moberly by future NBA coach Cotton Fitzsimmons (MSHOF 1981), who led Moberly to another two NJCAA National Championships.
John moved from Moberly to Drake University of the Missouri Valley Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1958. He had a 211–131 record at Drake.
In 1971, John left Drake to move to nearby Iowa State University. He inherited a struggling team that had finished 5–21 in the previous season. John would compile a 32–25 record in rebuilding the Iowa State program.
John was known for his “belly–button” defense, in which he pushed his players to stick out their stomachs and play face–to–face. He also promoted the integration of college athletics departments and sports teams by being one of the first college coaches to hire a Black assistant coach and have Black and White players room together on road trips, even in the deep South.
John was diagnosed with cancer during the 1973-1974 season and died on October 15, 1974.