Quick Facts
VirgoBiography
John Dobson Lawther was a college men's basketball coach and professor. He was the head coach of Westminster College from 1926 to 1935 and Penn State University from 1936 to 1949. He coached Westminster and Penn State to a 302-124 record, playing in one NCAA tournament in 1942. After leaving coaching, Lawther became a professor and athletic administrator at Penn State and became a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine.
He was an alumnus of Westminster College and earned a master's degree from Columbia University.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster Titans (Independent) (1926–1935) | |||||||||
| 1926–27 | Westminster | 12-5 | |||||||
| 1927–28 | Westminster | 17-3 | |||||||
| 1928–29 | Westminster | 15-2 | |||||||
| 1929–30 | Westminster | 14-2 | |||||||
| 1930–31 | Westminster | 13-1 | |||||||
| 1931–32 | Westminster | 16-2 | |||||||
| 1932–33 | Westminster | 19-6 | |||||||
| 1933–34 | Westminster | 24-5 | |||||||
| 1934–35 | Westminster | 22-5 | |||||||
| Westminster: | 152–31(.831) | ||||||||
| Penn State Nittany Lions (Eastern Intercollegiate Conference) (1936–1939) | |||||||||
| 1936–37 | Penn State | 10-7 | 6-4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1937–38 | Penn State | 13-5 | 6-4 | 2nd | |||||
| 1938–39 | Penn State | 13-10 | 5-5 | T-3rd | |||||
| Penn State Nittany Lions (Independent) (1939–1949) | |||||||||
| 1939–40 | Penn State | 15-8 | |||||||
| 1940–41 | Penn State | 15-5 | |||||||
| 1941–42 | Penn State | 18-3 | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||||
| 1942–43 | Penn State | 15-4 | |||||||
| 1943–44 | Penn State | 8-7 | |||||||
| 1944–45 | Penn State | 10-7 | |||||||
| 1945–46 | Penn State | 7-9 | |||||||
| 1946–47 | Penn State | 10-8 | |||||||
| 1947–48 | Penn State | 9-10 | |||||||
| 1948–49 | Penn State | 7-10 | |||||||
| Penn State: | 150–93 (.617) | 17–13 (.567) | |||||||
| Total: | 302–124 (.709) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||