Harry Statham (stay-them), the all-time wins leader in college basketball history at the four-year level, will serve as the men’s basketball coach at McKendree University for his 52nd season in 2017-18.
Statham, who led the Bearcat program to 12 American Midwest Conference championships and 15 appearances at the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship, has helped guide McKendree through its transition to NCAA Division II membership. The Bearcats will enter their sixth season as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2017-18.
McKendree opened its 2016-17 season in impressive fashion, posting a 91-84 upset of NCAA Division I SIUE in exhibition play on Nov. 5, 2016. It marked the Bearcats’ first win over a Division I program since the 1996-97 campaign, when Statham guided the Bearcats to a 13-point triumph at Southeast Missouri State University.
Over his 51 years at the helm of the McKendree program, Statham has amassed 1,110 victories. Of all the milestone victories reached by Statham during his legendary career, perhaps none is more significant that the Bearcats’ 92-84 win collected at Maryville University on Feb. 6, 2016. That victory was No. 1,099 in Statham’s coaching tenure, which pushed him past the late University of Tennessee women’s coach Pat Summitt for the all-time wins record at a four-year institution -- men’s or women’s. The moment garnered national media attention for Coach Statham, his program and the University.
Just five days later, a 19-point, second-half comeback highlighted a 108-105 overtime win at the Harry M. Statham Sports Center against Missouri S&T on Feb. 11, 2016. That made Statham the first college basketball coach at a four-year institution to reach 1,100 career victories.
McKendree won 13 games during the 2015-16 season, which marks the program’s highest win total since becoming members of NCAA Division II. The final victory of the season came in front of a packed Statham Center on Feb. 25, 2016. That night, the Bearcats rallied once again to defeat the University of Illinois Springfield in overtime, 88-83. The victory clinched McKendree’s first bid to the GLVC Tournament since becoming league members in 2012-13.
Following the contest, a post-game celebration was held on-court to honor the milestone coaching victories reached by Statham during the 2015-16 campaign. He was also recognized for completing his 50th season as a collegiate basketball coach, a benchmark that has been reached by only a handful of head coaches in the long, rich history of the game.
Statham is one of just four men’s coaches in college basketball history at the four-year level of any division to reach the 1,000-win mark. On Nov. 13, 2009, Statham collected his 1,000th career victory when McKendree defeated East-West University 79-49 in Lebanon. That victory made Statham the first member of the 1,000-win club.
Statham has coached in a record 1,607 collegiate games entering the 2017-18 campaign. He surpassed the record established by former Mt. St. Mary’s coach Jim Phelan, who guided his teams for 1,354 games over a 49-year career.
During his storied career at McKendree, Statham has led the Bearcats to post-season play 41 times. Statham coached McKendree to all 15 of its NAIA national tournament berths, including runs of five straight appearances from 1999-2004 and again from 2006-11. Statham’s teams have averaged 22 wins per season since his first season of 1966-67, and have reached the 20-win mark 35 times under his tutelage.
The list of awards and honors received by Statham is endless. He was selected as the 2001-02 NAIA Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year. Statham received American Midwest Conference Coach of the Year award eight different times. He is also a six-time recipient of NAIA District 20 Coach of the Year honors. Statham has been named the NAIA-Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year 12 times.
In 2005, Statham was recognized by two different national organizations for his coaching accomplishments. At the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national convention in St. Louis, Statham was honored by his coaching peers as he received the organization’s Guardians of the Game Leadership Award.
Later that summer, Statham was named the winner of the Distinguished Service Award from the United States Sports Academy. The award is given annually to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to national or international sports through education, research or service. In the summer of 2006, the Lebanon City Council honored Statham by renamed a portion of Alton Street -- which runs along the eastern edge of the McKendree campus which passes the Melvin Price Convocation Center -- Harry Statham Way.
In 2014, Statham added to his impressive list of honors with induction into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame. Statham was one of 16 individuals enshrined in the organization’s class that year.
Statham’s career accomplishments and achievements were recognized with his 1998 induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame. He is also a 1987 inductee into the IBCA-NAIA Hall of Fame a 2012 inductee into the McKendree University Sports Hall of Fame.
Over the past 51 years, Statham and the McKendree basketball program have enjoyed countless milestone moments. One of the more memorable moments came back on Dec. 1, 2004 at the Statham Center. On that date, Statham led McKendree to an 83-72 victory over Maryville University, marking his 880th career win. That allowed Statham to pass legendary University of North Carolina head coach Dean Smith for the all-time wins record among college basketball coaches. The milestone victory was witnessed by a sellout crowd in Lebanon, and garnered media attention across the nation.
During Statham’s tenure at McKendree, he has molded the Bearcat men’s basketball program into one of the most successful and respected programs throughout the world of collegiate basketball.
Statham has been at the helm of the Bearcats’ most successful teams, with the 2002-03 squad ranking at the top of that list. That season, McKendree compiled a 34-4 overall record and a 10-0 mark in AMC play. It was the first time ever that the Bearcats posted an undefeated record in the league. McKendree completed its perfect run through the AMC schedule by winning both games in the post-season tournament.
At the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball National Championship, McKendree posted three victories on its way to a berth in the NAIA Fab Four. It was the first time in team history that the Bearcats reached the semifinal round of the national tournament.
Along the way, the 2002-03 team provided many highlights. The Bearcats earned their first No. 1 ranking in the NAIA poll in December. They entered the NAIA Tournament as the No. 2 seed, which was the highest seed ever for McKendree at the event. In addition, the Bearcats reeled off three winning streaks of at least 10 games.
Individually, Matt Laur became the first McKendree student-athlete to be named an NAIA Player of the Year as he earned the award in Division I. Laur also became the Bearcats’ all-time leading scorer in 2002-03. The first highlight from that season came on Nov. 15, 2002 in Lebanon. By guiding the Bearcats to an 88-87 home victory against Mountain State University, Statham became the NAIA’s all-time leader in career victories with career win No. 817 that evening.
McKendree made its first NAIA Tournament appearance in 1987-88. That season, the Bearcats opened the year with 22 consecutive wins on their way to a school-record 35 victories. In its first-ever national tournament game, McKendree and first-round opponent Huron College (S.D.) combined for 231 points in a 124-107 Bearcat victory. The combined point total set an NAIA Tournament record that stood for nearly 20 years.
The Bearcats’ 1996-97 team battled its way past two higher-ranked opponents to reach the NAIA Elite Eight. McKendree’s quarterfinal appearance was the Bearcats’ best-ever finish at the national tournament until the success of the 2002-03 squad.
During his tenure at McKendree, Statham has coached 72 different players that have received post-season accolades. Ten of those players went on to earn NAIA All-America honors. The most recent, and final, Bearcat to join that exclusive club was Eric Hobbie, who earned NAIA first-team accolades in 2009-10 and second-team honors in 2010-11. Hobbie was named as the AMC Player of the Year in both of those seasons. In all, Statham coached seven players that earned AMC Player of the Year honors.
Statham has coached three players that were drafted in the professional ranks. Paul Funkhouser was the first of the trio to be drafted. He was a supplemental pick of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association. Dale Haverman was a fifth-round pick of the Seattle SuperSonics in 1977. Matt Laur joined Funkhouser and Haverman in the fall of 2003 when he was selected in the fourth round of the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) draft by the Columbus (Ga.) Riverdragons. Several former Bearcats have also enjoyed professional success overseas.
Meanwhile, numerous McKendree student-athletes who have played and learned the game under Statham’s guidance have gone on to successful coaching careers on both the high school and collegiate levels.
Statham began his coaching career while an undergraduate student at McKendree. He guided the boy’s basketball team at O’Fallon Junior High School while taking college courses at night. After graduating from McKendree in 1960, Statham moved on to the University of Illinois. He was a graduate assistant for the men’s basketball and track teams while completing requirements for a master’s of science degree in physical education.
After leaving Illinois, Statham moved to the high school coaching ranks. He was at Manito Forman High School from 1961-63 before moving to Dwight High School. Statham stayed three years at Dwight before returning to McKendree. Along with his duties as athletic director and men’s basketball coach, Statham coached baseball for two years upon his return.
Statham served as McKendree’s athletic director from his arrival in 1966 until May 2010. Under Statham’s leadership as athletic director, the number of athletic programs offered grew from just a handful of offerings to 24 sports. Statham was honored as the NAIA Central Region Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in 1998-99. He was also recognized as the American Midwest Conference and NAIA Region V Athletic Director of the Year in 2007-08.
Along with his coaching duties, Statham is an assistant professor of physical education at McKendree. Statham and his wife, Rose, reside in Belleville.
