Abe Lemons

A.E. “Abe” Lemons was born in Ryan, Oklahoma in 1922. Lemons earned a basketball scholarship to play for Southwestern Oklahoma State University, though after the U.S. entered WWII that same year, Lemons became a Merchant Marine, serving in the Pacific. Lemons enrolled in Hardin College after the war, playing as a forward for the Indians, and later transferred to play for Oklahoma City University (OCU). He then spent 25 years as head coach at OCU, before coaching from University of Texas-Pan American and University of Texas. Lemons’ 34-season coaching career record included 599 wins and 343 losses. He died in 2002 of complications from Parkinson’s Disease.