Howard Hobson (1992) - Hall of Fame - University of Oregon Athletics

Howard Hobson

Induction:
1992

As a schoolboy in Portland in 1921, he was all-state in basketball. In college, he captained both the basketball and baseball teams at Oregon. He coached both sports for 28 years, picking up 24 championships along the way. While coaching at Oregon (1935-47), he modified the patterned fast break and proposed other changes that were beneficial to the game.

But, one accomplishment overshadows all others, the Ducks’ 1939 NCAA title by the Tall Firs, the first-ever national tournament as we now know it. Hobson finished his career at Yale, but returned to Oregon for the remainder of his life. By then, it was clear, Hobby knew basketball. His book, Shooting Ducks, is the most complete chronicle of Oregon basketball through the 1980s.