Osborne Cowles

Who was Osborne Cowles?

Osborne Bryan "Ozzie" or "Ossie" Cowles was an American basketball player and coach. He was the head men's basketball coach at Carleton College, River Falls State Teachers College, Dartmouth College, University of Michigan, and University of Minnesota. He was also the head baseball coach and assistant basketball and football coach at Iowa State Teachers College, now the University of Northern Iowa during 1923–24. In 30 seasons as a collegiate head basketball coach, Cowles compiled a record of 416–189. His teams competed in the NCAA basketball tournament six times. At the time of his retirement in 1959, Cowles ranked among the top 15 college basketball coaches of all-time by number of games won. He has been inducted into the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, the Dartmouth "Wearers of the Green," the University of Minnesota "M" Club Hall of Fame, the Carleton College Hall of Fame, and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Athletics Hall of Fame.