Hall of Fame
Joe Stowell’s affiliation with Bradley Athletics dates back more than 70 years to his days as a men’s basketball student-athlete for the Braves from 1947-50. A junior at Bradley in 1948 when the school joined the Missouri Valley Conference, he was a key contributor to the 1949-50 squad that won the MVC title and played in the championship game of both the NIT and the NCAA Tournament. His connection to the Bradley Basketball program stretched to more than 1,500 games in various roles within the Bradley Athletics department: 103 games as a men’s basketball player from 1947-50; 250 games as a men’s basketball assistant coach from 1956-65; 344 games as the Bradley Basketball head coach from 1965-78; 107 games as an assistant athletic director from 1978-85; and 741 games as the radio analyst from 1985-2010.
During his 13 years as the men’s basketball head coach, Stowell posted a 197-147 overall record and he remains second in Bradley Basketball history in victories and seasons coached. In addition, Stowell served two years as the Bradley Women’s Basketball head coach from 1981-83, posting a 33-22 record while helping the program transition from the AIAW into NCAA Division I.
Stowell’s 1968 men’s basketball team led the nation in field goal percentage (.524), while his 1982 women’s basketball squad led the nation in scoring (87.9 ppg), and he is believed still to be the only coach to lead both a men’s team and a women’s team to the top of a major national statistical category.
Stowell also has an extensive connection to international basketball and he is believed still to be the only coach to place both a men’s player and a women’s player in the U.S. Olympic Trials (Joe Allen led the men in scoring during the 1968 Olympic Trials in Albuquerque, while Judy Burns led the women in assists during the 1982 Olympic Trials in Indianapolis). He conducted basketball clinics around the world - five continents and 16 countries - well into his 70’s and Stowell is believed to have coached more basketball clinics overseas than any coach in the history of basketball. He also served as an assistant coach for the Egyptian Men’s National Team that won the 1983 African Championship and competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Stowell, 92, and his wife, Marilynn, recently celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary (Aug. 10). The couple lives just blocks from the Bradley campus, and he remains a frequent visitor to the Athletic Department offices.