Category Archives: Guest Post

Editor’s note: This post was written by “Stat Rat” Jim Craig, formerly of Lusk and now of Cheyenne, who has provided significant help to the research on Wyoming sports history.

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Even though this writer was born in the early 1950s, it’s tough for me to recall all that much about that particular decade, save for my Davy Crockett coonskin cap and my oft-busted Zorro sword with the chalk tip that made nifty Zs on my mom’s kitchen cupboards, much to her chagrin. (We Baby Boomers were the initial slaves to corporate Disney decades before the rest of you!) But I’ll digress from that nostalgic traipse down memory lane and focus on memories created by Wyoming high school coaches during that decade of Eisenhower and Elvis, while word-processing from underneath my atomic bomb-proof school desk, safe and sound!

First, a chart which will covers games played from December of 1949 to March of 1959:

(The chart data shows that coaching careers lengthened during this decade—compared to the 1940s—and the number of those who coached all ten years of the decade increased from three to five—the three in the chart as well as Harvey Crowe (Sundance and Buffalo) and Vern Jensen (Lyman and Laramie). Nine year coaches increased from one to 10 (those listed below and Tead Weaver –Sundance and Upton). Granted, WWII shortened many careers in the 1940s, but don’t forget the Korean War did likewise for the initial years of the 1950s. An average coaching term was 3.74 years, more than double the 1940s average.)

Top Ten 1950s Coaching Records by Wins
Coach	School(s)	Seasons	Wins	Win%	Q-Factor	Medal	Champ
*Okie Blanchard	Cheyenne Central	9	204	0.813	1.000	0.889	4
Mack Peyton	Rock Springs	9	187	0.722	1.000	0.667	1
Jacque Schmiedt	Huntley; Wheatland	10	159	0.624	0.600	0.000	0
George Collins	Thermopolis; Natrona	8	153	0.725	1.000	0.375	2
*Carl Rollins	Sheridan	9	152	0.626	0.889	0.222	1
George Dorrington	Hanna; Campbell Co	9	151	0.59	0.778	0.222	2
Roger Youtz	Albin; Veteran; Greybull; Worland	10	147	0.639	0.500	0.400	2
Reese Gaskell	Saratoga; Rawlins	9	137	0.571	0.222	0.000	0
*Jim Wiseman	Lingle; Torrington	9	126	0.555	0.667	0.111	0
Archie Jurich	Jackson	9	124	0.546	0.444	0.222	0
*Swede Erickson	Midwest; Natrona	7	122	0.613	0.857	0.286	1
Richard Gruber	Dayton	6	118	0.837	0.833	0.333	0
Jack King	Lander	7	117	0.622	0.714	0.000	0
Ed Rich	Pine Bluffs	9	117	0.539	0.333	0.111	0
Dennis Ragan	Moorcroft; Albin; Saratoga	9	117	0.52	0.444	0.111	1
Tony Katana	Superior; Green River	10	117	0.468	0.500	0.000	0
Floyd Hart	Lusk	5	115	0.737	1.000	0.000	0
*Keith Bloom	Evanston; Powell	8	115	0.561	0.500	0.125	0
*Wilford Mower	Byron; Lovell	8	111	0.593	0.500	0.250	1
Norval ‘Bud’ Johnson	Glenrock; Evanston	8	111	0.493	0.625	0.000	0

Q-Factor=percentage of times qualified for the state tourney
Medal=percentage of times finishing 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd
*Wyoming Coaches Association Hall of Fame member

As he did during the 1930s and 1940s, Okie Blanchard is heads and tails above the rest, even when he spots everyone else a year of wins by retiring before the 1958-59 season. Coach Blanchard leads the list in wins and win percentage, medals (1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd) in all but one state tourney during the time period, takes double the state championships of the runners-up, and qualifies nine out of nine times for the state tourney. The city of Cheyenne honors all sorts of historic events and history makers with bronze statues in and about the downtown area. A street corner should be saved for a statue of Coach Okie, Wyoming’s first great coach.

Two for the Hall of Fame? The Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame was established in 1984, a quarter century after the 1950s ended and a generation after many of the above finished their stints on the sidelines. Are there any on the list that should be considered, possibly forgotten by time? Certainly Mack Peyton’s record is impressive, and while his numbers don’t quite match Okie’s for this arbitrary time span, they’re still excellent. The 20 years of coaching requirement—80% within Wyoming— keeps Peyton from serious consideration, as sadly he only coached nine years in the state, from what I’ve found. Wheatland’s Jacque Schmiedt is one who just misses the 20 year mark. I have him totaling 19 seasons, 6 in Huntley (where he also founded the Cardinal football program) and 13 seasons in Wheatland. A factor working against Coach Schmiedt was geography— those 13 years as a Bulldog mentor had Wheatland playing against Cheyenne Central (enrollment @300 vs @2500), Laramie and Torrington pre-1962 and against University Prep’s championship program after that date. This limited the Bulldogs’ chances at state tourney qualifying somewhat. However, both coaches have Hall of Fame worthy numbers, in my estimation, and as the chart for the 1950s demonstrates.

Others? George Collins established a nifty record, coaching at Thermopolis and Casper Natrona, notching two championships in seven years with the Bobcats. His Mustang teams were less fortunate, medaling only twice in six years. However, in all his 13 years as a coach, Collins’ teams qualified each year for the state tourney. George Dorrington won state championships with small school Hanna and also larger school Campbell County. The latter win was quite the surprise as the Camels were unranked entering the state AA-A tourney and Gillette wasn’t all that big of a school at the time, with around 260+ students. Dorrington only coached 10 years of hoops in Wyoming, which works against him, somewhat. Roger Youtz coached mainly during the 1950s and stepped away from the sidelines in the 1963-64 season, totaling 16 years in Wyoming, a career that began in 1948-49. His two state championships were with small school Veteran. His teams made the trip to the Gem City for the state tourney eight times. All three coaches fall short of the requisite 20 years, but still should merit some consideration for the Hall of Fames, I believe.

Editor’s note: This post was written by “Stat Rat” Jim Craig, formerly of Lusk and now of Cheyenne, who has provided significant help to the research on Wyoming sports history.

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In amassing and compiling data about Wyoming prep basketball from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, it’s sometimes fun to answer obscure questions. Information for this article centers within the decade of the 1940s and coaching. To wit: Which hoops coaches were the most successful during the 1940s? I’ll be using research from the 1939-40 basketball season up to and including the 1948-49 campaign, 10 seasons total.

This was a tough decade to coach in, made more difficult by the four years that World War II lasted. Coaches, generally being younger men, found themselves to be prime candidates for the military. Many volunteered right after the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941 and several Wyoming schools had to scramble to find replacement coaches mid-season. Often, older school superintendents—many were ex-coaches— stepped in as coaches pro tem. The average tenure for a coach at any one school was only 1.75 years for the entire decade. Longest tenures of the decade at any one school totaled eight years by Clarence Birch at Cokeville and Lincoln Gardner at Star Valley. Only three coaches coached every season of the 1940s: Coach Birch (also Encampment), Carl Murphy (Lingle and Riverton) and Charlie Roberts (Burlington, Lovell and Worland).

Top Ten 1940s Coaching Records by Wins
Coach	School(s)	Seasons	Wins	Win%	Q-Factor	Medal	Champ
*Okie Blanchard	Central, Natrona	8	187	0.842	1.000	0.875	6
Charlie Roberts	Burlington, Lovell, Worland	10	145	0.582	0.600	0.100	1
Carl Dir	Manville, Shoshoni, Worland, Rawlins	9	139	0.612	0.333	0.111	0
Lincoln Gardner	Star Valley	8	123	0.745	0.500	0.000	0
Joe Schwartz	Saratoga, Rawlins, Natrona	6	120	0.722	0.667	0.333	1
Chester Christiansen	Lovell, Evanston	6	114	0.713	0.667	0.667	0
Silas Lyman	Buffalo, Ranchester	7	109	0.609	0.714	0.000	0
William Engstrom	Superior, Rock Springs	6	102	0.618	1.000	0.167	0
Clarence Birch	Cokeville, Encampment	10	99	0.569	0.400	0.200	1
Archie Conn	Chugwater, Torrington	7	91	0.607	0.714	0.000	0
Darrell Hathaway	Natrona	4	87	0.731	1.000	0.500	0
Norman Mikkelson	Superior, Glenrock	6	83	0.61	0.500	0.000	0
Nerbert Crossman	Rozet	6	82	0.667	0.500	0.167	0
Joseph Weller	Albin	5	81	0.757	0.200	0.000	0
Walter Dowler	Rock Springs, Central	3	79	0.84	1.000	1.000	2
Floyd Foreman	Laramie	4	76	0.697	1.000	0.750	0
*Wilford Mower	Byron	4	74	0.747	1.000	0.500	2
John Bays	Midwest	4	74	0.692	1.000	0.000	0
Henry Hartwell	Midwest	4	74	0.705	1.000	0.000	0
Frank Mathew	Clearmont, Powell	4	73	0.64	0.750	0.000	0
Floyd Hart	Lusk	5	73	0.553	0.400	0.000	0

Q-Factor=percentage of times qualified for the state tourney; Medal=percentage of times finishing 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd; *Wyoming Coaches Association Hall of Fame member

The chart above answers most questions about the decade, showing that C. H. ‘Okie’ Blanchard is by far and away the best hoops coach of the 1940s. (The same thing occurs for the 1930s and 1950s by the way, articles for a different day, maybe.) Okie leads in total wins by 42 games, win percentage, qualified all of his teams for the state tourney, medaled (first, second or third) seven of eight times, and won six of 10 big-school state championships. And he spotted two years of the 1940s to his prep hoops coaching brethren by stepping away from prep sports to coach and work at the University of Wyoming.

Best of the rest? Because he only coached three years in the 1940s, Walter Dowler doesn’t make the top 10 win list, but still rings up an impressive total of 79. Coach Dowler succeeded Okie at Rock Springs as head coach and won the 1937-38 state championship—too early to count on this arbitrary time span—won it again for the Tigers in 1940-41 and the next year in Cheyenne in 1941-42. Coach Dowler might’ve won another state title the following year but the Uncle Sam had different plans for him. Coach Blanchard was named his replacement and took the 1942-43 state title. After his stint in the Navy, Dowler turned his energies toward school administration and Okie continued to post a string of championships for the Indians. (Dowler’s lowest 1940s finish was second place in the 1939-40 season to—you might’ve guessed it— Coach Okie’s NCHS Mustangs.)

Three to consider—Byron’s Wilford Mower took home two 1940s state championships, coaching the final four years of that decade. He posted 74 wins, added another state title in 1950 and 111 1950s wins to his Hall of Fame total. Laramie’s Floyd Foreman ended his stellar coaching career in the 1940s with 76 wins in the four years he coached during the decade, qualifying the Plainsmen for tourney play each year and medaling three times. Just missing the top ten was Natrona County’s Darrell Hathaway with 87 wins during a four-year span of the 1940s. His Mustangs qualified each time for the state tourney and medaled twice. That average of over 21 wins a year is enviable.

Halls of Fame are a rather recent phenomena, and Wyoming started theirs in 1984. Have any 1940s coaches been omitted by the Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame? The biggest stumbling block is the 20-year requirement of coaching with at least 80% of that occurring in Wyoming. As mentioned before, WWII disrupted many coaching careers during this decade and as a result, most fall short of the required two decades. Coaches then coached ALL sports all year long: football in the fall, basketball during the winter and track in the spring. Such investments in time tended to shorten coaching careers. The same can be said for coaches during the 1930s, where the Great Depression affected school budgets, cancelled or reduced seasons and caused all teachers uncertain employment circumstances.

Personally I’d like to see Floyd Foreman added to the Hall of Fame list, even if he’s a few years short of 20. My records go back to the 1930-31 season and I believe Coach Foreman started in Laramie the year before in the 1929-30 school year. My records—minus the 1929-30 campaign—show an amazing career. Coach Foreman qualified the Plainsmen for all the state tourneys except one, and that was the state tourney cancelled by the scarlet fever in 1935-36. His teams medaled 10 times: two state championships, five runners-up and three third place finishes. Minus that first year, he totaled 257 wins and a .754 win percentage. Pretty impressive accomplishments, even if his 14 years served are shy of 20, and certainly worthy of recognition in the Wyoming Coaches Hall of Fame.