APRIL 4, 2014


MARSHALL WINS 2013 JOHN MCLENDON AWARD

DALLAS, TX -- Wichita State's Gregg Marshall is the recipient of the 2014 John McLendon National Coach of the Year award.

Marshall led the Shockers to a No. 2 ranking in the final poll and to the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and tournament titles. For the fifth straight season, the Shockers won at least 25 games.

The Shockers entered the tournament at 34-0 and as a No. 1 seed. They became the first team in NCAA men's history to win its first 35 games. They lost to Kentucky in the third round and fell short of matching Indiana in 1976 as the last unbeaten national champion.

The John McLendon award is presented annually to the top collegiate head coach. The award will encompass Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and JUCO.

A trailblazer and one of the true pioneers of the game, McLendon became the first African American coach to win an integrated national championship. His team went on to win the NAIA Division I Men's Tournament in 1957, 1958 and 1959, making him the first coach in history to win three consecutive NAIA championships.

In 1962 he became the first African American head coach in a major professional league (ABL) with the Cleveland Pipers. In 1966 he became the first African American head coach of predominantly-white university, when he took over the Cleveland State program. He led the team to their best record in school history.

In 1969, McLendon was hired by the Denver Rockets and became the first African American head coach in the American Basketball Association. After a brief stint with the Rockets, McLendon ended his 25-year professional coaching career with a winning percentage of .760 and a lifetime career average of 523 victories and 165 losses.