LAWTON, Okla. – Former Cameron University head men's basketball coach and Cameron Athletics Hall of Fame member Ted Owens has been selected for induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2026. Owens will be formally enshrined on Oct. 22, 2026, at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Missouri.
Long before establishing himself as one of the most successful coaches in University of Kansas basketball history, Owens began his highly decorated coaching career at Cameron State Junior College, now Cameron University.
Owens led the Cameron men's basketball program from 1956 through 1960, compiling a remarkable 93-24 record over four seasons. The Aggies won at least 20 games in each of those seasons and advanced to the national junior college tournament semifinals three consecutive years. Four Cameron players earned junior college All-America honors during Owens' tenure.
The program reached new heights in 1958, when Cameron earned the No. 1 national ranking and became the first undefeated team to enter the national tournament. Owens' teams established a standard of sustained national success and elevated Cameron basketball into one of the country's premier junior college programs.
His accomplishments in Lawton extended beyond basketball. Owens also coached baseball and football at Cameron, leading the Aggie baseball program to the 1958 NJCAA national championship. He was inducted into the Cameron Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008 in recognition of his wide-ranging contributions to the university.
Following his Cameron tenure, Owens joined the University of Kansas men's basketball staff as an assistant coach under Dick Harp in 1960. He was promoted to head coach prior to the 1964-65 season and led the Jayhawks for 19 years.
Owens finished his Kansas career with a 348-182 record, six Big Eight Conference regular-season championships and seven NCAA postseason appearances. His teams advanced to the NCAA Final Four in 1971 and 1974 and reached the National Invitation Tournament championship game in 1968. His 348 victories rank fourth in Kansas men's basketball history.
He was named the Big Eight Coach of the Year five times and earned National Coach of the Year honors from Basketball Weekly in 1978. Owens coached five Kansas All-Americans—Jo Jo White, Darnell Valentine, Dave Robisch, Bud Stallworth and Walter Wesley—each of whom later had his jersey retired by the university.
Owens will enter the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame alongside Jay Wright, Tubby Smith, Glen Rice, Danny Ainge and Walt Hazzard as part of the Class of 2026.
For Cameron Athletics, Owens' induction celebrates a coaching career whose foundation was established in Lawton. His 93 victories, three national semifinal appearances and undefeated, No. 1-ranked 1958 team remain among the greatest accomplishments in Cameron basketball history.
Owens' selection for one of college basketball's highest honors further cements his place as a Cameron icon and recognizes the lasting impact of the championship standard he established with the Aggies.
The NABC Hall of Fame release can be found here.
