Clarence Iba (1909 - April 21, 1997) is the former head basketball coach at the
University of Tulsa. Iba coached the
Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball team for eleven seasons, from 1949 to 1960. He is the brother of former
Oklahoma State coach
Henry Iba.
When Iba was hired in 1949, he became Tulsa's first full-time basketball coach. Iba led the team to a
NIT appearance in 1953, the first postseason appearance for Tulsa in the modern era. Tulsa also made the
Associated Press college basketball rankings for the first time in the 1952-53 season, reaching as high as #8 in the poll.Bonham, Chad.
Golden Hurricane Basketball at the University of Tulsa. Chicago: Arcadia, 2004, pg. 22 The 1954-55 season was Iba's best at the school. Tulsa won the
Missouri Valley Conference with a 21-7 record, including 8-2 in conference. This was the first twenty-win season in school history. Tulsa advanced to the
1955 NCAA Tournament, its first appearance in that tourney. After being eliminated in the first round, Tulsa won the consolation bracket. Additionally, Tulsa's first all-American,
Bob Patterson, was from that same 1954-55 campaign.
Iba's last few years at Tulsa were not as successful as the...
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