Missouri Basketball Coaches
Hall of Fame Inductees
1999
Fred Pohlman Jr. , Penn Valley
Born in Natoma Kansas, graduated from Fort Hays State College in 1950. From there he moved on to the University of Missouri, where he received his master's degree in 1956, interrupted by four years in the United States Navy. Pohlman’s coaching career began in Vandalia, Missouri in September of 1956, where he coached baseball, basketball and track. From Vandalia, he moved to coaching at various high schools in Kansas City Missouri, and in 1967 he was hired to start the Penn Valley Community College basketball program. Thirty-two years later, Pohlman has established an impressive record with over 600 wins and no sign of stopping. When asked about retirement by a Kansas City reporter, Pohlman responded, “Why would I retire? I have the greatest job there is. I get to coach the game I love.” Coach Pohlman’s teams have won 6 Regional titles out of the last seven years, placing 2nd, 3rd and 5th in the nation. After two personal wins over cancer, a 67-year-old Pohlman took his underdog team to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II tournament and won the title in 1996. His team’s have been to the national tournament five out of the last seven years. Although no longer coaching, his current wins total over 600. Fred was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1999.