Hall of Fame Member Biographies

Henry Payne (Hank) Iba

Henry Payne (Hank) Iba started coaching basketball in 1927 at Oklahoma City Classen High School. In 1935 he began an illustrious thirty-five-year career at Oklahoma A&M College, now Oklahoma State University. Iba led OSU to two national championships and 655 victories, while also serving as athletic director. Respected on and off the court, his players called him “Mr. Iba.” He was voted into the Missouri Hall of Fame, and became a member of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1965. Iba became the first person to coach three United States Olympic teams. Named to the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, he was twice voted National Coach of the Year. He died in 1993. Iba was inducted into the Oklahoma Higher Education Hall of Fame in 1998.