Pete Spoden (1989) - Hall of Fame

Pete Spoden

Induction:
1989
Class:
1964

A first-team All-American for the Iowa State Teachers College basketball squad in 1964, Spoden set many Panther records en route to signing a professional contract with the NBA's Baltimore Bullets.

Born May 31, 1940, in Dubuque, Iowa, he was a 1958 graduate of the Loras Academy in Dubuque. He was an all-state football and basketball player and was considered one of the top distance runners in the state. He received his bachelor's degree in physical education at ISTC in 1964 and did work on his master's degree after returning from a shortened professional playing career.

Nicknamed "Big Guy" because of his 6-6, 200-pound frame, he made his Panther debut in the second half of the 1959 season and lettered the next three yeas. He gained All-America Honorable Mention status as a junior. Spoden joined the U.S. Army his senior year, but returned to the ISTC line-up for the first semester of the 1963-64 campaign. The team finished fourth in the NCAA College Division Championships that season. Spoden set several new records in his career, including most free throws in a game (16), most rebounds in one game (34), and most points in one game (38) during the 1963-64 season. He set a total of nine school records with his career totals including 70 games played; 1,104 rebounds, averaging 15.7 per game; and 1,239 points for a 17.7 per game average.

Despite not playing college football, he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys organization - typifying his athletic ability. However, he elected to pursue an NBA career and signed with the Bullets in May 1964. During his rookie season, Spoden suffered a broken wrist in an exhibition game. Although many thought he would continue in the NBA, he chose to return to school to work toward a master's degree in physical education.

Spoden spent 20 years coaching high school basketball and football. He longest coaching reign was at Des Moines Valley High School for 12 seasons. He began coaching at Allison-Bristow where he served two years as head basketball coach. He also spent five years at Tipton High School and one season at Mid-Prarie High School in Wellman, Iowa. He was also employed as the executive director of the Rainbow School for exceptional children in Yuma, Ariz.

In addition to coaching, Spoden played softball, joining Reames, a well-known squad on the Iowan circuit, for the 1976 slate. Inducted in Iowa's 16" Softball Association Hall of Fame on Aug. 13, 1989, he became a respected hurler, leading his team to three state championships (1979, 1981, 1982). It was during his softball career that he met an early fate. While pitching in a tournament in Yuma in October 1988, he unknowingly suffered a massive heart attack. He pitched his team to victory that game, but soon after was taken to a local hospital. He died one week later.

Spoden was active in many community activities, including Yuma Human Rights and the Kiwanis Governing Board. He continued in his humanitarian ways by having his body donated to science at the University of Iowa School of Medicine upon his death Nov. 5, 1988.