Ed Rule  

The roots of Iowa basketball lie in 1901, when Ed Rule coached the Hawkeyes to a 10–2 record in their very first season of varsity basketball. During his first team (one year after dribbling was allowed), he led the Hawkeyes to a 40-27 victory over Kansas and legendary head coach James Naismith (founder of basketball).

He spent four different tenures managing the team in 1902, 1904 and 1906-1907, while directing the Iowa City YMCA. In between those seasons, he worked at the Des Moines YMCA, including having a game against Iowa in 1905.

He lead Iowa to a 37–15 record, which is one of the best head coaches in terms of winning percentage.