Russell "Sox" Walseth (April 6, 1926 – January 28, 2004) was an American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

coach, best known for his tenures as both the men's and women's head coach at the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University o ...

. Walseth was born in

Aberdeen, South Dakota Aberdeen () is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, South Dakota, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 28,495. making it the third-most populous city in the state. Aberdeen is home of Northern State University. ...

, and an all-state basketball player at Pierre High School, graduating in 1944. He joined the U. S. Navy, and was ultimately moved to Colorado where he attended the University of Colorado and was a member of the basketball and baseball teams. Following his graduation, he stayed at Colorado to earn a master's degree and coach the freshman team. He then moved on to coach Arvin High School in Arvin, California, for the 1953–54 season. Walseth moved to the college ranks the following season as he was named head coach at South Dakota State. He led the Jackrabbits to a significant improvement, as he compiled records of 14–11, then 17–7 in his two seasons. In the 1955–56 season he led the team to the North Central Conference championship and a berth in the 1956 NAIA Tournament. This performance helped Walseth earn the Colorado head coaching job when his former mentor Bebe Lee was named

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant coll ...

. Walseth coached the Buffaloes for twenty seasons, compiling a 261–245 record. His teams won three

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate ...

championships (in 1962, 1963 and 1969) and won the league's Coach of the Year award four times (1962, 1963, 1969 and 1973). Under his watch, Ken Charlton and Cliff Meely earned

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors. Walseth was relieved of his duties following the 1975–76 season, but was coaxed out of retirement in 1980 to oversee the Buffaloes' women's team for three seasons, compiling a record of 77–21. He was the first person to coach both men's and women's basketball at the same school. Walseth died at his home in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

, on January 28, 2004, at the age of 77.

References

External links

Colorado Buffaloes Athletic HOF profileSouth Dakota Sports HOF profileColorado Sports HOF profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walseth, Sox 1926 births 2004 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players American women's basketball coaches Basketball coaches from South Dakota Basketball players from South Dakota Carroll College (Montana) alumni College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Colorado Buffaloes baseball players Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball coaches Colorado Buffaloes men's basketball players Colorado Buffaloes women's basketball coaches High school basketball coaches in the United States People from Aberdeen, South Dakota South Dakota State Jackrabbits men's basketball coaches Guards (basketball) Sportspeople from Aberdeen, South Dakota 20th-century American sportsmen