Quick Facts
Biography
Walter James McPherson (December 5, 1916 – January 12, 2013) was an American basketball coach and was regarded as one of the best at San Jose State University, and former West Coast Athletic Conference commissioner. McPherson graduated from San Jose State in 1939 and played as a fullback through 1936 and 1938 trained by Dudley DeGroot. He became a basketball coach and assistant football coach, he also managed to get his basketball team in the NCAA Tournament which was the team's first time in the tournament. He also taught Carroll Williams and Billy Wilson who also started their own sport careers. McPherson retired from coaching in 1960.
Personal life
He was involved in World War II and became a lieutenant. He became a member of San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2006. McPherson died in 2013 in Santa Rosa, California.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose State Spartans (California Collegiate Athletic Association) (1940–1942) | |||||||||
| 1940–41 | San Jose State | 19-8 | |||||||
| 1941–42 | San Jose State | 13-20 | |||||||
| San Jose State Spartans (California Collegiate Athletic Association) (1945–1950) | |||||||||
| 1945–46 | San Jose State | 17-14 | |||||||
| 1946–47 | San Jose State | 18-9 | |||||||
| 1947–48 | San Jose State | 23-9 | |||||||
| 1948–49 | San Jose State | 22-13 | |||||||
| 1949–50 | San Jose State | 21-7 | |||||||
| San Jose State Spartans (Independent) (1950–1952) | |||||||||
| 1950–51 | San Jose State | 18-12 | NCAA First Round | ||||||
| 1951–52 | San Jose State | 15-10 | |||||||
| San Jose State Spartans (West Coast Conference) (1952–1960) | |||||||||
| 1952–53 | San Jose State | 15-8 | 4-4 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1953–54 | San Jose State | 12-15 | 6-6 | 3rd | |||||
| 1954–55 | San Jose State | 16-9 | 7-5 | 2nd | |||||
| 1955–56 | San Jose State | 15-10 | 8-6 | T-4th | |||||
| 1956–57 | San Jose State | 13-12 | 7-7 | T-4th | |||||
| 1957–58 | San Jose State | 13-13 | 5-7 | T-4th | |||||
| 1958–59 | San Jose State | 5-19 | 1-11 | 7th | |||||
| 1959–60 | San Jose State | 6-19 | 2-10 | T-6th | |||||
| San Jose State: | 261–207 (.558) | 40–56 (.417) | |||||||
| Total: | 261–207 (.558) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||