Harvard Hoops

Did you know that there was one individual credited to introducing the sport of basketball on the Harvard campus around the year 1900?

The basketball program that first year at Harvard had a record of 11 wins and 8 losses which was a very respectable first-year record for any school especially one in the Ivy League. Building from that initial success the Harvard basketball program seemed on a path to competitiveness and greatness until the bottom fell out and the program was brought to a sudden halt in 1909.

Edward Wachter

In 1920 Harvard resurrected the program and hired hotshot coach Edward Wachter “Dean of U.S. Basketball Shooters,” to help rebuild the program. This likable-coach went about doing just that and lasted at Harvard for a full 19 seasons. Of those 19 seasons 9 were winning teams which is a record that still stands today for the Harvard basketball program.

To be first considered a real coach by the Harvard alumni and the basketball supporting cast on the team and in the stands a win over the dreaded Yale team must be materialized.

Big Time Winning

Several fans of Harvard hoops will agree that one of the school’s finest teams participated in the 1945-46 season. The team was coached by Floyd S. Stahl and captained by Wyndol Gray. This especially gifted ball player would later be drafted by the NBA’s Boston Celtics and St. Louis Hawks.

The 1945-46 team finished 19-3, which still stands as the school record for most wins. In 1983-84, Harvard achieved an NCAA record for free throw shooting as a team, shooting an amazing 82.2% from the line.

The record still stands more than two decades later, as one of the greatest shooting achievements for the entire Harvard program.

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