KU Basketball: Ranking Jayhawks Eight Head Coaches All-Time

Kansas Jayhawks fans at Allen Fieldhouse. – Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

KU Basketball Head Coach Rankings Number Eight: Dick Harp

This may be unfair, but Dick Harp comes in at number eight on this list. He had the unenviable task of following in the footsteps of a coaching legend, and it is hard to be successful under those conditions.

Harp coached eight seasons as Kansas, compiling a respectable 121-82 record, good for 59.6 winning percentage. His win total and winning percentage are the second lowest of all KU basketball coaches.

Harp’s biggest failing was he was unable to win a national championship with maybe the most dominant college basketball player of all-time – Wilt Chamberlain. The Jayhawks lost in triple overtime to North Carolina in 1957.

Despite Chamberlain averaging just under 30 points a game and over 18 rebounds an outing, the Jayhawks were unable to win the big one with Chamberlain.

Still, Harp did preside over one Final Four and two conference championships. His best season was 1956-1957 (24-3). He had three losing seasons, including a finishing just 7-18 in 1961-1962. It was only the second time since 1929 the Jayhawks finished with less hen ten wins.

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Dick Harp may be judged unfairly in KU basketball history, but it is pretty incredible when your worst ranked head coach won nearly 60 percent of his games.

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