Walter James McPherson (December 5, 1916 – January 12, 2013) was an American basketball coach and was regarded as one of the best at San Jose State University, and former West Coast Athletic Conference commissioner. McPherson graduated from San Jose State in 1939 and played as a fullback through 1936 and 1938 trained by Dudley DeGroot. He became a basketball coach and assistant football coach, he also managed to get his basketball team in the NCAA Tournament which was the team's first time in the tournament. He also taught Carroll Williams and Billy Wilson who also started their own sport careers. McPherson retired from coaching in 1960.[2]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 5, 1916 San Jose, California, U.S. |
| Died | January 12, 2013 (aged 96) Santa Rosa, California, U.S. |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1940–1942 | San Jose State |
| 1945–1960 | San Jose State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 264–208 (.559)[1] |
Personal life
editMcPherson was involved in World War II and became a lieutenant in the United States Navy. He became a member of San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. McPherson died in 2013 in Santa Rosa, California.[2][3][4] He is survived by two children, including poet and University of California, Davis professor Sandra McPherson.[3][5]
Head coaching record
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose State Spartans (California Collegiate Athletic Association) (1940–1942) | |||||||||
| 1940–41 | San Jose State | 19–8 | |||||||
| 1941–42 | San Jose State | 13–20 | |||||||
| San Jose State Spartans (California Collegiate Athletic Association) (1945–1950) | |||||||||
| 1945–46 | San Jose State | 17–14 | |||||||
| 1946–47 | San Jose State | 18–9 | |||||||
| 1947–48 | San Jose State | 23–9 | |||||||
| 1948–49 | San Jose State | 22–13 | |||||||
| 1949–50 | San Jose State | 21–7 | |||||||
| San Jose State Spartans (Independent) (1950–1952) | |||||||||
| 1950–51 | San Jose State | 18–12 | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||||
| 1951–52 | San Jose State | 15–10 | |||||||
| San Jose State Spartans (West Coast Conference) (1952–1960) | |||||||||
| 1952–53 | San Jose State | 15–8 | 4–4 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1953–54 | San Jose State | 12–15 | 6–6 | 3rd | |||||
| 1954–55 | San Jose State | 16–9 | 7–5 | 2nd | |||||
| 1955–56 | San Jose State | 15–10 | 8–6 | T–4th | |||||
| 1956–57 | San Jose State | 13–12 | 7–7 | T–4th | |||||
| 1957–58 | San Jose State | 13–13 | 5–7 | T–4th | |||||
| 1958–59 | San Jose State | 5–19 | 1–11 | 7th | |||||
| 1959–60 | San Jose State | 6–19 | 2–10 | T–6th | |||||
| San Jose State: | 261–207 (.558) | 40–56 (.417) | |||||||
| Total: | 261–207 (.558) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/dcac9a78?DB_OEM_ID=5600#/dcac9a78/106 [dead link]
- ^ a b "San Jose State legend Walt McPherson (1916-2013)". San Jose State Athletics. January 15, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
- ^ a b "Walter McPherson". San Jose Mercury News. January 17, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2017.
- ^ "Walter McPherson Obituary - San Jose, CA".
- ^ Jessop, Annet (2002), Cucinella, Catherine (ed.), "Sandra McPherson (1943- )", Contemporary American Women Poets: An A-to-Z Guide, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, p. 233, ISBN 0313317836