1910-11 Men's Basketball - Hall of Fame
1910-11 Men's Basketball
- Induction:
- 2026
The 1910-11 Columbia men's basketball team established itself as one of the finest teams of its era, capturing the Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League championship with a 13-1 overall record and a 7-1 mark in league play. The title marked Columbia's fifth EIBL championship in 11 years and capped one of the most successful stretches in the early history of the program. Columbia’s dominant victories featured a commanding average margin of victory of 14.5.
Led by coach Harry A. Fisher, the Lions entered the 1910-11 season with all five starters from the previous year's championship team returning. The veteran group included forwards Ted Kiendl and Capt. R.V. Mahon, center A.D. Alexander, and guards W.M. Lee and Claus Benson. The team's experience and depth helped Columbia navigate a demanding schedule that included games against Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Pennsylvania and other leading collegiate programs of that day.
Columbia opened the season with high expectations after winning consecutive championships and quickly demonstrated that it remained among the nation's elite. The Lions defeated Cornell, 33-19, in January, with Kiendl, Benson and Alexander leading the scoring, before continuing their march through the league schedule. In a 23-12 victory at Princeton later on in the season, Columbia led by double digits for most of the contest, making consistent long-range shots.
The Lions packed out the All-Eastern Intercollegiate League team: A.D. Alexander, Ted Kiendl, W.M. Lee, and R.V. Mahon all earned First Team honors while Claus Benson was tabbed to the Second Team.
Kiendl was named National Player of the Year upon the conclusion of the season. He remains just one of two Columbia men’s basketball players ever to receive that accolade, along with Hall of Famer and the program’s all-time leader in points per game, Chet Forte ‘57CC. The Brooklyn, New York, native was inducted into the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. Individually, the forward was the first Columbia player to earn National Player of the Year honors in 1910-11 after leading the E.I.B.L. in scoring (100 points, 7.1 PPG in the pre-shot clock era). For his career, Kiendl was a three-time All-American and all-league honoree.
After graduating, Kiendl had a brilliant career as a negligence defense attorney, beginning in 1913. He later served as a special assistant for New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey.
A year after graduation, Fisher returned to his alma mater to begin a 10-year tenure as Columbia’s first professional coach (and possibly the first paid coach in the nation) His teams won three Eastern League titles and were second twice (in eight seasons). They ranked among the nation's top teams, compiling a 101-39 record and a remarkable .721 winning percentage.
The 1910-11 Lions' combination of veteran leadership, consistency and success against the era's strongest teams cemented their place among the foundational teams in Columbia men's basketball history.
Led by coach Harry A. Fisher, the Lions entered the 1910-11 season with all five starters from the previous year's championship team returning. The veteran group included forwards Ted Kiendl and Capt. R.V. Mahon, center A.D. Alexander, and guards W.M. Lee and Claus Benson. The team's experience and depth helped Columbia navigate a demanding schedule that included games against Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Pennsylvania and other leading collegiate programs of that day.
Columbia opened the season with high expectations after winning consecutive championships and quickly demonstrated that it remained among the nation's elite. The Lions defeated Cornell, 33-19, in January, with Kiendl, Benson and Alexander leading the scoring, before continuing their march through the league schedule. In a 23-12 victory at Princeton later on in the season, Columbia led by double digits for most of the contest, making consistent long-range shots.
The Lions packed out the All-Eastern Intercollegiate League team: A.D. Alexander, Ted Kiendl, W.M. Lee, and R.V. Mahon all earned First Team honors while Claus Benson was tabbed to the Second Team.
Kiendl was named National Player of the Year upon the conclusion of the season. He remains just one of two Columbia men’s basketball players ever to receive that accolade, along with Hall of Famer and the program’s all-time leader in points per game, Chet Forte ‘57CC. The Brooklyn, New York, native was inducted into the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014. Individually, the forward was the first Columbia player to earn National Player of the Year honors in 1910-11 after leading the E.I.B.L. in scoring (100 points, 7.1 PPG in the pre-shot clock era). For his career, Kiendl was a three-time All-American and all-league honoree.
After graduating, Kiendl had a brilliant career as a negligence defense attorney, beginning in 1913. He later served as a special assistant for New York Gov. Thomas E. Dewey.
A year after graduation, Fisher returned to his alma mater to begin a 10-year tenure as Columbia’s first professional coach (and possibly the first paid coach in the nation) His teams won three Eastern League titles and were second twice (in eight seasons). They ranked among the nation's top teams, compiling a 101-39 record and a remarkable .721 winning percentage.
The 1910-11 Lions' combination of veteran leadership, consistency and success against the era's strongest teams cemented their place among the foundational teams in Columbia men's basketball history.
Wednesday, October 28
Wednesday, October 28
Tuesday, October 27
Tuesday, October 27
