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Phog: The Most Influential Man in Basketball
Remembered in name but underappreciated in legacy, Forrest “Phog” Allen arguably influenced the game of basketball more than anyone else.
In the first half of the twentieth century Allen took basketball from a gentlemanly, indoor recreation to the competitive game that would become a worldwide sport. Succeeding James Naismith as the University of Kansas’s basketball coach in 1907, Allen led the Jayhawks for thirty-nine seasons and holds the record for most wins at that school, with 590. He also helped create the NCAA tournament and brought basketball to the Olympics. Allen changed the way the game is played, coached, marketed, and presented.
Scott Morrow Johnson reveals Allen as a master recruiter, a transformative coach, and a visionary basketball mind. Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Wilt Chamberlain, and many others benefited from Allen’s knowledge of and passion for the game. But Johnson also delves into Allen’s occasionally tumultuous relationships with Naismith, the NCAA, and University of Kansas administrators.
The Most Influential Man in Basketball chronicles this complex man’s life, telling for the first time the full story of the man whose name is synonymous with Kansas basketball and with the game itself.
In the first half of the twentieth century Allen took basketball from a gentlemanly, indoor recreation to the competitive game that would become a worldwide sport. Succeeding James Naismith as the University of Kansas’s basketball coach in 1907, Allen led the Jayhawks for thirty-nine seasons and holds the record for most wins at that school, with 590. He also helped create the NCAA tournament and brought basketball to the Olympics. Allen changed the way the game is played, coached, marketed, and presented.
Scott Morrow Johnson reveals Allen as a master recruiter, a transformative coach, and a visionary basketball mind. Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, Wilt Chamberlain, and many others benefited from Allen’s knowledge of and passion for the game. But Johnson also delves into Allen’s occasionally tumultuous relationships with Naismith, the NCAA, and University of Kansas administrators.
The Most Influential Man in Basketball chronicles this complex man’s life, telling for the first time the full story of the man whose name is synonymous with Kansas basketball and with the game itself.
- GenresSports
376 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 16, 2017
University of Nebraska Press published "Phog: the Most Influential Man in Basketball" by Scott Johnson in 2016. The book is exceptionally well written and the documentation is excellent. Johnston's writing is full of surprises and captivating antidotes. It is a great read for Jayhawkers and fans of college basketball.
October 27, 2017
An amazing storied life of one of college basketball's amazing pioneers bogged down in silly repetitious detail. It's a shame so many words are devoted to Phog Allen's thinning hair, his red socks and similar People magazine trivia. In fairness, "Phog" is a good recollection of Allen's colorful, stormy presence on the University of Kansas campus and in the college basketball ranks. His larger than life ego is well documented. What's missing is whether Allen believed in bringing meaningful integration to his program at KU and the Lawrence community, or was it merely his efforts to keep Jayhawk basketball viable in the changing sport of the '50s. I want to believe the former, but who would ever know from this writing? And by the way, Mr. Johnson, the correct spelling of the former athletics director's name is Frederick; no"s." Unless this is your schoolyard jab at feeding the gossipy he said/they said retelling of this particular history. All this inspires me to read Blair Kerkhoff's edition of the same topic. I look forward to a much better read.
July 20, 2018
If you are a Jayhawk fan, or if you are just a basketball fan, you HAVE to read this book! You learn a lot about the man who is rightfully called "the FIRST coach of basketball".
October 2, 2023
All basketball fans will love reading this book; especially KU basketball fans. I think anybody who truly loves the sport of basketball should read this book.
July 1, 2024
Great read - A lot of information
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews