Former Tiger Coach Cal Luther "Architect" of Murray State Basketball Program

April 4, 2010

April 4, 2010, Greencastle, Ind. — Cal Luther, who served as DePauw University's head men's basketball coach from 1954-58, "was the architect of the Murray State University basketball program, and he had the Racers in the tournament long before March Madness became as popular as it is today," reports Tennessee's Jackson Sun. The story continues, "Luther coached at MSU from 1958 to 1974 and compiled a 241-134 record, which included two Ohio Valley Conference championships and two trips (1964, 1969) to the NCAA tournament. Luther arrived in Murray after spending five years at DePauw University in Indiana as the school's head coach," David Thomas writes. (at left: Coach Luther as seen in the 1957 Mirage)

Luther, who was twice named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, remembers breaking the color barrier by bringing the first African-American basketball player to the conference. "We lost a good part of our schedule when I did that," he tells the newspaper. "Teams like Mississippi State and Ole Miss, but it was very important to have that done. And we did the same at DePauw."

Luther later coached at Longwood, the University of Tennessee - Martin, and Bethel "and now serves as a color commentator for the Skyhawk basketball games," according to the story.

You'll find the complete article at the Sun's Web site.

Cal Luther compiled a record of 45-40-1 at DePauw.  He was succeeded by Elmer McCall.  Learn more about DePauw's basketball program at the team's official online page.

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