Jim Iverson - Inducted 1979

1948 Platte HS grad. 1952 Kansas State grad. Was an all-stater four times at Platte. Played in four state tournaments, setting records for points scored in a championship-round game (29), consolation-round game (42), for three games (82) and for state tourney career (251). Starting guard for Kansas State and played for the Wildcats in 1951 when they beat Arizona, Brigham Young and Oklahoma State before falling to Adolph Rupp's Kentucky club in the finals of the NCAA tournament, 68-58 in Minneapolis. As a senior, the 5-11 guard was all-Big Seven and averaged 13 points a game as the Wildcats went 19-5 and were ranked third in the nation. He scored 633 points in 75 games at K-State, where he lettered three years. Iverson played with the College All-America team that toured the country with the Harlem Globetrotters. Iverson was a second-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics in 1952. Had a tryout with the Celtics after getting out of the service, then got into coaching. He coached at South Dakota State, leading the Jackrabbits to the college-division national title in 1963. Coached SDSU 9 seasons (1956-65), compiling a 142-65 record and winning the North Central Conference title five times. The 1961 team finished third in the nation.