Wilbur Stalcup

Wilbur Stalcup, c. 1952

Wibur "Sparky" Stalcup (1910-April 21, 1972) was basketball coach for the Northwest Missouri Bearcats men's basketball and Missouri Tigers men's basketball teams. Stalcup also served as athletic director at the University of Missouri.

Early life

Stalcup grew up in Oregon, Missouri where he played for the 1928 team that won the Missouri State High School championship at a time when there were no size divisions for high school basketball. The Oregon team made it to the quarterfinals National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament at the University of Chicago.^[1] During the run Oregon did not have a gymnasium and practiced on an outdoor court and occasionally inside a Methodist Church. There were only 10 people from the school body of 100 who played.^[2]

He attended Northwest Missouri and played for Hank Iba and was a member of Iba's 1932 team that lost a title game in the Amateur Athletic Union national championship (the only national championship basketball appearance by Northwest)

Northwest Missouri

Stalcup at 138-57 is second only to Iba in the school's won-loss percentage. His only MIAA championship was in 1939-40 when his team was 17-0) in conference play and 22-1 overall. His teams had winning seasons in eight of his nine season.^[3]

University of Missouri

Following a hiatus on basketball during World War II Stalcup moved to Missouri. He compiled a 195-179 record at Missouri with no conference championships although winning two Big Seven Holiday Tournaments. Among his players was Norm Stewart. He had the most wins in the school history until Stewart eclipsed him. He was president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1961-62. He was color commentator on basketball broadcasts after leaving coaching and was the athletic director at the university when he died.^[4] The Stalcup Room in the Mizzou Arena is named for him.

References