Howard A. Hobson

Howard “Hobby” Hobson transferred his skills as a star baseball and basketball player at the University of Oregon into a well-rounded career on the hardwood as a coach, administrator, author, and clinician. Hobson pioneered intersectional play at Oregon, making the Ducks the first Western team to travel east for games. From 1933 to 1956, Hobson coached hoops at Southern Oregon College, Oregon, and Yale. His overall record was 495-291, a mark that included leading Oregon to the first-ever NCAA title in 1939, and three Pacific Coast Conference titles. Oregon was unstoppable in the first NCAA Tournament beating opponents by an average of 15 points per game. Hobson’s Yale teams won or shared five Big Three crowns. Hobson also introduced intersectional play to Yale, bringing the first Yale team to the Pacific Coast in 1948-49. A distinguished writer, Hobby authored many basketball books that helped advance and popularize the game.