Edgar Diddle

Edgar Allen Diddle (March 12, 1895 in Gradyville, Kentucky, United States - January 2, 1970) was a college men's basketball coach. He is known for coaching at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Kentucky from 1922 to 1964. Diddle became the first coach in history to coach 1,000 games at one school. Diddle was known for waving a red towel around along the sidelines during his games. He was known to wave, toss, and chew on this towel, and even cover his face in times of disappointment. His red towel is now part of WKU's official athletic logo. Diddle experienced only five losing seasons in 42 years and overall, averaged 25 wins per year.

Diddle's teams claimed 32 conference championships, played in 11 postseason tournaments; won 20+ games eighteen different times, (including one stretch of ten years in a row); became the first team from the South to participate in the Olympic Trials; and won an amazing 759 games. When he stepped down in 1964 Diddle had won more games than any coach in NCAA history and today he still ranks in the top ten on the all-time list.

While Diddle was best known for coaching men's basketball, he also coached football, baseball, and women's basketball at WKU, although men's basketball was his only coaching job for the vast majority of his tenure at the school. [http://www.wkusports.com/page.cgi?page=Traditions#towel]

Prior to coming to Western Kentucky, Diddle played basketball and football for Centre College and was a member of their 1919 undefeated basketball team. After college he coached basketball at Monticello High School, where he guided the team to the Kentucky State Tournament semi-finals, and then Greenville High School, which played in a regional tournament at Bowling Green. During the tournament, he came to the attention of officials at Western Kentucky who offered him the coaching position at the college.

E. A. Diddle Arena, the basketball venue at WKU, built in 1963, is named for him.

E.A. Diddle Men’s Basketball Coaching Record

KIAC – Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
SIAA – Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association
OVC – Ohio Valley Conference (T) Tournament
NAIA – National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
NIT – National Invitation Tournament
NCAA – National Collegiate Athletic Association
Note: When the NIT started it was generally considered to be more prestigious than the NCAA tournament. It remained on par with the NCAA through the mid 1950’s.

E.A. Diddle Football Coaching Record

External links

* [http://www.hoophall.com/halloffamers/Diddle.htm Basketball Hall of Fame profile]
* [http://www.hilltopperhaven.com/diddle/index.html Profile on HilltopperHaven]