Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 17, 1913, legendary Iowa State basketball and baseball player Waldo Wegner was born in Everly. Iowa State’s first All-American in basketball, Wegner led the Cyclones to the school’s first Big Six title.
Wegner stood out as a multisport athlete for the Cattlefeeders of Everly High School before making his way to Ames to study engineering. The Cyclone great joined coach Louis Menze’s team only after responding to an advertisement for men’s basketball tryouts in the Iowa State Daily student newspaper. The 6’4” center also eventually took over duties in centerfield for the Cyclone baseball team. After sitting out the customary freshman season, Wegner took the court as a sophomore on a hapless Iowa State team that finished dead last in the Big Six. Wegner sat the first half of the season’s first game, entered the game after halftime, and played every single minute of Cyclone basketball from then until his graduation three years later. The Cyclones showed improvement during his junior season and climbed into fifth place in the final Big Six Standings.
Wegner’s stepped into his senior season and helped the Cyclones race up the standings. Playing in the frontcourt alongside sophomore forward Jack Flemming of Spirit Lake and junior forward Jack Cowan of Packwood, Wegner shined as a dominant interior force. Torvald Holmes, a junior guard from Ames, helped to coordinate the Cyclone attack. After going 5-0 in non-conference play with notable wins like a 28-27 decision over Drake in Des Moines and a 41-33 home win over Iowa, the Cyclones put the Big Six on notice with a 31-23 win over Missouri to open league play. Despite a setback on the road at Nebraska, the Cyclones managed to right the ship and run to the league title with an 8-2 conference record (13-3 overall). Wegner earned first-team all-Big Six honors.
After graduating with a civil engineering degree, Wegner served in the US Navy from 1942 to 1945. He eventually became the director of the Center for Industrial Research and Service at Iowa State. Honored as a part of the “All-Century” Iowa State men’s basketball team, the university retired Wegner’s #14 jersey in 1992 and inducted him into the Cyclone Hall of Fame in 1998. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
Comments