How neat! Sounds like he should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame straight off, definitely deserves the honor! > Date: Tue, 8 Mar 2011 15:35:27 +0000 > From: Kathleen lynch <[email protected]> > Subject: [InMontgo] Basketball history clipping > To: Montgomery County <[email protected]> > > > I thought you all might be interested in something I just > read in the Shortridge High School Alumni News Briefs. > Persist -- Crawfordsville appears toward the end! This is > even earlier than the teams we had mentioned, isn't it? Jeff > would know! > > Kathy > > > A CHECK INTO THE PAST...1901 ATHLETICS @ SHS. > > Mr. Papesh > recently received a call from the Executive Director of the > Indiana > Basketball Hall of Fame seeking information on a Shortridge > graduate > named Ralph Jones, class of 1901. We discovered that Mr. > Jones attended SHS from 1897-1901. We also learned he was in > the glee club and played basketball. > > Upon > further examination of a 1900 Annual, it stated that > "Ralph Jones was a > coach of the basketball team. He was a player (student) > and the > coach." > > Additional research > shows Jones was the first Indiana high school basketball > coach - as a > junior he organized the 1899-1900 Indianapolis Shortridge > High School > team, the first high school squad in Indiana. > > After > the turn of the century, Jones coached the Indianapolis > YMCA to a state > title and then simultaneously coached the Crawfordsville > YMCA, > Crawfordsville H.S., and Wabash College each to > prominence.  > > The > Crawfordsville YMCA won their state competition in > 1904-05, > Crawfordsville High School went 12-0 in 1906-07 (before the > state > tournament had been born), and his record at Wabash College > over five > seasons was an astounding 75-6, including an 8-0 record in > 1904-05 and a 24-0 effort in his final season, > 1907-08.  The latter group is referred to as Wabash's > "Wonderful Five - World Champions." > > He became coach at Purdue University, leading the Boilers > to the program's first two conference championships and a > 32-9 record over three years (including a 12-0 season in > 1911-12), > then coached at the University of Illinois where he went > 85-34 in eight > seasons, including a 16-0 Helms National Championship > season in > 1914-15. > > Between 1905 and 1920 his teams recorded four undefeated > seasons at Wabash, Purdue, and Illinois.  He > coached nine All-American players in that timeframe, > coached five Big > Ten Conference scoring leaders, and his teams were a > combined 195-50 > (79.6%). > > Among > his players in Crawfordsville were Ward "Piggy" Lambert, > Pete Vaughn, > and Dave Glascock (who coached the 1911 Crawfordsville team > to the > inaugural state championship), who are all Indiana > Basketball Hall of > Fame inductees.  Among his players at Illinois were > George Halas, who > later hired Jones to coach the Chicago Bears, whom Jones > promptly led to > the 1932 NFL Championship, and Tug Wilson, who served as > Big Ten > Commissioner from 1945-61.  Jones is also considered a > strong mentor to > another Hall of Fame coach, Everett Case. > > His > successors at Wabash as well as Purdue were his former > players (Ralph > Wicks at Wabash, Pete Vaughn, then Piggy Lambert at > Purdue). > > Jones > also coached basketball and football at Lake Forest > Academy and Lake > Forest College in Illinois until 1949 before retiring to > Colorado, where > he died in 1951. > > The > Indiana State Basketball Hall of Fame is considering > inducting Ralph > Jones into its elite group of Indiana high school players > and coaches. >