Howie Shannon

Who is Howie Shannon?

Howard Shannon was an American basketball player and coach. He played professionally in the Basketball Association of America and the early years of the National Basketball Association and coached at the high school and college levels.

Shannon was the first overall pick in the 1949 BAA Draft, selected by the Providence Steamrollers. Shannon averaged 13.4 points per game during the 1948–49 BAA season and was named the league's Rookie of the Year — a designation not currently sanctioned by the NBA for that season. He attended Kansas State University and North Texas.

Following his playing career, Shannon became head coach at Topeka High School in Kansas, where he coached from 1950 to 1954 before becoming an assistant to Tex Winter at Kansas State. In 1964, Shannon was named head coach of Virginia Tech. Shannon coached the Hokies to a 104-67 record and its best NCAA Tournament finish in 1967, reaching the Mideast Regional final before falling to Dayton. In 1971, Shannon resigned to join Virginia Tech's physical education faculty full-time. Shannon was also coach of the 1960 Puerto Rican basketball team in the 1960 Olympics.