E.A. Diddle

Edgar Allen Diddle was born on a small farm near Gradyville in Adair County, KY, on March 12, 1895. Growing up as one of five boys, Diddle developed into a fine athlete and played all sports at nearby Columbia High School. In 1915, Diddle entered Centre College in Danville, KY. There he continued to play basketball and football, even earning the nickname of “Mule” for his great physical strength on the football field. In 1918, he joined a naval aviation program and spent most of the year in Europe. He returned to Centre the following year and finished up his academic and athletic career there in 1920. By the following winter, Diddle had landed his first head coaching job at Monticello High School, where he took his first team all the way to the state finals. The next year saw Diddle assume the head coaching position at Greenville High School. In his second year there, his 1922 team posted a 26-2 record and participated in a regional tournament in Bowling Green. Once in Bowling Green, Diddle so impressed everyone with his coaching ability that officials at the then Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College extended him an offer to become the athletics director and head coach of all sports there. He eventually accepted, and on Sept. 7, 1922, E. A. Diddle began his legendary career with Western Kentucky University.

Diddle was and remains a legendary figure. In 42 seasons (1922-64) as the head basketball coach at WKU, Diddle’s teams claimed 32 conference championships; played in 11 postseason tournaments; won 20+ games 18 different times, (including one stretch of ten years in a row); became the first team from the South to participate in the Olympic Trials; and won 759 games. When he stepped down in 1964, Diddle had won more games than any coach in NCAA history and still ranks on the all-time list. At the time of his death in 1970, over 100 of Diddle’s former players were coaching in the high school, college, or professional ranks – an incredible example of the influence that he had on his beloved players. He has a display in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, which includes one of the coach’s legendary Red Towels, which he developed into a WKU tradition, as he was always seen throwing and waving his red towel vigorously throughout the game.

In 1963, Western’s new gymnasium was completed and named E. A. Diddle Arena. Even after retirement, Coach Diddle remained a fixture at the arena and could usually be found leading cheers with his red towel. Diddle supported his Toppers until his passing on January 1, 1970.

To honor this legacy, the “W” Club established the E.A Diddle Scholarship Fund in 1964. The initial donation came from the total proceeds of an Atlanta Hawks v. Boston Celtics basketball game on WKU’s campus that was sponsored by the Alumni Club. Through this fund, Coach Diddle’s incredibly influential presence lives on in perpetuity.