John Landis Longfellow (September 20, 1901 – November 8, 1977) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach and player. He is best known as National Title winning-head men's basketball coach at

Indiana State University Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...

as well as leading the USA National Team to a gold medal in the 1951 Pan-Am Games. Born in

Warsaw, Indiana Warsaw is a city in and the county seat of Kosciusko County, Indiana, United States. Warsaw has a population of 15,804 as of the 2020 U.S. Census. Warsaw also borders a smaller town, Winona Lake. Etymology Warsaw, named after the capital of ...

, Longfellow was a notable Indiana high school coach for the Leesburg Blue Blazers, the

Nappanee Nappanee is a city in Elkhart and Kosciusko counties in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 6,648 as of the 2010 U.S. Census and had grown to 6,913 by the 2020 U.S. Census. The name Nappanee is thought to mean "flour" in the Algonq ...

Bulldogs and the Hartford City Airedales. However, his greatest success came with the Elkhart Blazers. All told, his teams won over 375 games and 24 state tourney titles in 19 years of coaching; two of his best players were the Brothers Patanelli,

Matt Patanelli Matthew Lewis Patanelli (July 13, 1914 – May 27, 1992) was an American football, baseball and basketball player and coach. He played and coached all three sports at the University of Michigan and was selected as the Most Valuable Player on the 1 ...

and

Joe Patanelli Joseph Mathew Patanelli (September 18, 1919 – August 18, 1998) was an American professional basketball and minor league baseball player. He played for the Toledo Jeeps and Minneapolis Lakers in the National Basketball League and averaged 3.6 ...

. He moved to

Indiana State Indiana State University (ISU) is a public university in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. It was founded in 1865 and offers over 100 undergraduate majors and more than 75 graduate and professional programs. Indiana State is classified ...

University, replacing the legendary

John Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

. In his first season, he led the Sycamores to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, they finished 4th. In 1950, the Sycamores won the NAIA National Title. Based on their finish, the eligible (those returning for the next season) Sycamores and Coach Longfellow were invited to represent the United States in the 1951

Pan-American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

. Longfellow served as co-head coach and led the American squad to the gold medal, the first of many basketball gold medals in the Pan-American Games for the USA National Team. While at

, he coached some of their most successful players;

Duane Klueh Duane M. Klueh (January 6, 1926 – June 2, 2024) was an American basketball player and coach. Born in Bottineau, North Dakota, he was raised in Terre Haute, Indiana. He was the head men's basketball coach at Indiana State University for 12 seas ...

Dick Atha Richard Ernest Atha (September 21, 1931 – February 6, 2020) was an American basketball player and coach. Basketball career He played collegiately for the Indiana State Sycamores and scored 1,119 career points. He led the team in scoring duri ...

, Don McDonald, Sam Richardson,

Lenny Rzeszewski Clemens L. "Lenny" Rzeszewski (November 6, 1923 – November 7, 2013) was an American college basketball player and, later, a high school coach. High school career Lenny Rzeszewski attended South Bend Central High School in South Bend, Indiana ...

, and

Bob Royer Robert Dee Royer (October 15, 1927 – May 30, 1973) was an American professional basketball player.Bob ...

. He is currently tied (with

Glenn M. Curtis Glenn M. Curtis (March 4, 1894 – November 24, 1958) was an American basketball coach. He was the head coach at Indiana State University from 1938 to 1946. He won 122 games and led the Sycamores to three NAIA Tournaments, reaching the nationa ...

in 4th place in career in coaching victories; Curtis does lead in winning percentage (73.1% to 65.6%). Stress-related heart problems led to his retirement from coaching early in the 1954-55 season, he remained as the Athletic Director until his retirement from the university in 1959. He was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1960; the

Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame The Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame is a sports museum and hall of fame in New Castle, Indiana. While it honors men and women associated with high school, college, and professional basketball in Indiana, an emphasis is placed on the athlete's high ...

in 1967; the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1984. In 2000, his 1949-50 NAIA National Title Team was inducted into the Indiana State University Hall of Fame.

Head coaching record

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Longfellow, John L. 1901 births 1977 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Indiana Basketball players from Indiana College men's basketball head coaches in the United States College men's basketball players in the United States High school basketball coaches in Indiana Indiana State Sycamores athletic directors Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball coaches Manchester Spartans men's basketball players People from Warsaw, Indiana