Harry Statham, who has put together one of the most remarking coaching careers in college basketball history, enters his 44th season as the men’s basketball coach and director of athletics at McKendree University.
Statham enters the 2009-10 season with 995 coaching victories. He is the all-time wins leader in men’s college basketball history at the four-year level, and is one of only two coaches in the men's ranks to have at least 900 career victories, with Bob Knight being the other.
In 2008-09, McKendree rolled to a perfect 14-0 record in capturing the American Midwest Conference regular-season championship. The Bearcats earned a No. 7 in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball National Championship, and reached the national quarterfinals for the third time in school history. McKendree finished the year with an overall record of 30-6, which included a run of 21 consecutive victrories.
During his storied career at McKendree, Statham has led the Bearcats to post-season play 38 times in 43 seasons. Statham has coached McKendree to all 13 of its NAIA national tournament berths, including a run of five straight from 1999-2004.
Statham’s teams have averaged 23 wins per season since his first season of 1966-67, and have reached the 20-win mark 31 times under his tutelage. McKendree also ranks among the NAIA’s top programs in terms of winning percentage over the past decade.
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 has received the AMC Coach of the Year award eight different times, including each of the last two years. He was also a six-time recipient of the NAIA District 20 Coach of the Year.
In addition, 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, Harry Statham Way.
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.
Over the past 43 years, Statham and the McKendree basketball program have enjoyed countless milestone moments. The most recent came December 16, 2008, when Statham guided the Bearcats to a 70-48 win in St. Louis against Concordia. That marked career game No. 1,355 on the bench for Statham, allowing him to pass Jim Phelan for the college basketball record for games coached. Back on Nov. 25, 2005, Statham reached the 900-win mark as the Bearcats defeated Freed-Hardeman University, 73-69.
Perhaps the most memorable moment came back on Dec. 1, 2004, at the Melvin Price Convocation 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.
The individual coaching accomplishments only begin to tell the story of one of the most successful coaches at any level over the last 43 years. During Statham’s tenure at McKendree, he has helped mold the Bearcat men’s basketball program into one of the most successful and respected programs within the NAIA.
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 national 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 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 its 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 until last spring.
The Bearcats’ 1996-97 squad 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 team.
During his tenure at McKendree, Statham has coached 67 different players that have received post-season accolades. Nine of those players have earned NAIA All-America honors. Eric Palm is the latest Bearcat player to join this exclusive club after earning AMC Player of the Year honors in both 2007-08 and 2008-09.
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.
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. There, 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 seasons at Dwight before returning to McKendree. In addition to his duties as athletic director and men’s basketball coach, Statham served as the Bearcats’ baseball coach for two years upon his return.
Under Statham’s leadership as athletic director, the number of athletic programs at McKendree has tripled in the last decade to 20 intercollegiate 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.
Along with his coaching and administrative duties within the Bearcat athletic department, Statham is an assistant professor of physical education at McKendree. Statham and his wife, Rose, reside in Belleville.
