Hall of Fame
Phog Allen is the first Veteran’s Committee selection to the MVC Hall of Fame (and also the first from the University of Kansas). In his 39 seasons at the helm of the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball program, his teams won 24 conference championships and three national titles. The Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively recognized Allen’s 1921–22 and 1922–23 Kansas teams as national champions. Allen also served as the head football coach at Kansas for one season in 1920. Allen was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with the inaugural class of 1959. The home basketball arena at the University of Kansas, Allen Fieldhouse, was named in his honor when it opened in 1955.
Kansas competed in what was then known as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association for 21 seasons (1907-28) and he was basketball coach for 11 of those years. While in the league, he earned two national titles (1922, 1923) and eight league titles. His .792 winning percentage in conference play (126-33) ranks second all-time in MVC history. While in the conference, Allen won .793 percent of all basketball games (169-44) – that ranks third-best all-time in league history.