John Bunn
Inducted:
1964
Stats
Born
September 26, 1898
Wellston, Ohio
Died
August 13, 1979
Newbury Park, California, U.S.
Position
Contributor
College
University of Kansas
John Bunn was a major influence on basketball as a coach, teacher, writer, rules expert, and administrator. His landmark legacy was forged across college basketball coaching, international rules administration, and executive leadership. After playing and assisting under Phog Allen at Kansas, Bunn became head coach at Stanford, where he coached Hank Luisetti and guided the 1936–37 squad to the Helms National Championship.
He is best remembered for proposing the revolutionary 1937 rule change that eliminated the center jump after every field goal, permanently transforming the game's tempo. Bunn subsequently served as Chairman of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for 14 years (1949–1963) and authored several seminal coaching manuals. For his administrative stewardship and game-altering rule innovations, he was enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a Contributor in 1964.
Bunn's Awards and Honor
- 3× Pacific Coast Conference Champion
- 1937 Helms Athletic Foundation National Champion
- Basketball Hall of Fame Chairman for 14 years
- Editor of College Guide and official rules interpreter, 1959–1960
- Nicknamed the “American Ambassador of Basketball”
NBA Position
As Player
Kansas (1917–1920)
As Coach
Stanford (1930–1938)
Springfield (1946–1956)
Colorado State–Greeley (1956–1963)
As Chairman
Basketball Hall of Fame (1949-1963)
NBA Stats
Head Coaching Career:
1930–1963
Overall Coaching Record:
315–299
Pacific Coast Conference Champion:
3
Helms Athletic Foundation National Champion
1937