About Walter Meanwell
Lived 1884 – 1953 (aged 69). Walter Meanwell was a British basketball coach.
Walter E. Meanwell (26 January 1884 – 2 December 1953) was an English college men's basketball coach in the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. The Leeds, England native coached in the U.S. for the University of Wisconsin–Madison (1911–1917, 1920–1934) and the University of Missouri (1918–1920) to an overall record of 290–101.
Meanwell became the fourth basketball coach in University of Wisconsin–Madison history in 1911. After earning a doctorate degree in 1915, he was nicknamed "Doc" or "Little Doc" (due to his 5'6" frame). During World War I era, he served in the United States Army Medical Corps and became a captain. After a two-year stint at University of Missouri, Meanwell was back at Wisconsin. The Badgers won or shared four Big Ten titles under his guidance (1921, 1923–24, 1929). His 1912, 1914, and 1916 Wisconsin teams were retroactively named national champions by the Helms Athletic Foundation and were retroactively ranked as the top teams for those respective seasons by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Meanwell taught a style of game that featured short passing, crisscross dribbles and a tight zone defense. In 1934 he retired from coaching and practiced medicine in Madison, Wisconsin, until his death. He was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 1959.
Head coaching record
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Walter Meanwell's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Walter Meanwell?
British basketball coach
When was Walter Meanwell born?
Walter Meanwell was born on 26 January 1884 in Leeds.
When did Walter Meanwell die?
Walter Meanwell died on 2 December 1953 in Madison.
What was Walter Meanwell's occupation?
Walter Meanwell was a basketball coach.
What nationality was Walter Meanwell?
Walter Meanwell was British.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Walter Meanwell. https://biography.guide/walter-meanwell/
MLA: "Walter Meanwell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/walter-meanwell/.
Chicago: "Walter Meanwell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/walter-meanwell/.
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