Walter E. Meanwell

Enshrined 1959
Born: January 26, 1884
Leeds, England
Died: December 2, 1953

Flamboyant, aggressive, and demanding the 5-foot-6 Walter Meanwell didn't have just one nickname, he had five: "Doc," "Little Doctor," "Napoleon of Basketball," "The Little Giant," and "The Wizard." Meanwell, who doubled as a physician, took a helter-skelter sport, and with tactical maneuvers and precise coaching, turned basketball into an orderly game. His teams featured short passing, crisscross dribbles, and a tight zone defense. In 1912, as the first-ever coach at the University of Wisconsin, Meanwell implemented these innovations and in his first three seasons, the Badgers won 44 of 45 games -- in 20 seasons, they won 70 percent of all games. In 1934, Meanwell retired to Madison, Wisconsin, to practice medicine.