Hec Edmundson

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Clarence S. "Hec" Edmundson (August 3, 1886 – August 6, 1964) was a college basketball head coach. A native of Moscow, Idaho, and a 1910 graduate of the University of Idaho, Edmundson coached at his alma mater (1916-18) and the University of Washington (1920-47), compiling a 508-204 (.713) overall record in 29 seasons.

Hec Edmundson also coached the track teams and served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee from 1941-46. The University of Washington hosted the national basketball finals in 1949 and 1952.

Nickname

Edmundson gained his nickname from his mother: as a child he often muttered, "Oh, heck.".^[1]

Collegiate and Olympic career

One of the first great athletes at the University of Idaho, Edmundson competed in track for the Vandals, where he launched the team onto the national stage when he and two other athletes traveled to the Lewis and Clark Exposition Games against the top schools in the Northwest.^{[citation needed]}

Newspapers wrote that Edmundson "impressed with his graceful form and unfaltering determination." He is responsible for organizing the Idaho cross country team in 1908, which set the foundation for a team that would win nine Pacific Coast Conference titles. Also in 1908, Edmundson traveled to Stanford for the U.S. Olympic trials, where he won the 800 meters and finished second in the 400 meters. Edmundson held the title of top half-miler in the country through 1912. He became the first Idahoan to compete in the Olympic Games, in London in 1908 and in Stockholm in 1912. ^[2]

Coaching career

After his athletic success, Edmundson returned to UI as a coach for both track and basketball. His basketball teams compiled a 20-9 record in two seasons. It was his basketball teams that led to Idaho’s athletic teams being nicknamed the Vandals. He then headed west to Seattle to coach the Washington Huskies, where he is credited with the creation of the fast-break offense style, which he attributed to his track background.

Hec Ed Pavilion

The UW Pavilion, a field house opened in December 1927, was renamed "Hec Edmundson Pavilion" in his honor in January 1948. In March 1999, "Hec Ed" underwent a major interior renovation (for 19 months) and re-opened in November 2000.^[3]

Grave

Hec Edmundson died in August 1964 at the age of 78. He is buried in the Calvary Cemetery in northeast Seattle, about a mile north-northeast of the Hec Edmundson Pavilion.^[4]

References

External links

• University of Idaho - Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame - Hec Edmundson

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