Walter E. Meanwell

Flamboyant, aggressive, and demanding, the 5-foot-6-inch Walter Meanwell did not just have one nickname, he had five: Doc, Little Doctor, Napoleon of Basketball, The Little Giant, and The Wizard. Meanwell, who doubled as a physician, took a helter-skelter sport, and with tactical maneuvers and precise coaching, turned basketball into an orderly game. His teams featured short passing, crisscross dribbles, and a tight zone defense. In 1912, as the first-ever coach at the University of Wisconsin, Meanwell implemented these innovations and in his first three seasons, the Badgers won 44 of 45 games including going undefeated twice. In 20 seasons, the Badgers won over 70 percent of all games. Meanwell left Wisconsin briefly for two seasons to coach at Missouri where his teams recorded identical back-to-back 17-1 seasons. In 1934, Meanwell retired to Madison, Wisconsin, to practice medicine.