Few schools around the country can boast of  having the illustrious coaching alumni that Western Kentucky has produced over the years. Only eleven different coaches, prior to Darrin Horn, have guided the Hilltoppers into action over the last 85 seasons. Beginning with J. L. Arthur in 1914 and continuing on through to the present, every Topper head man has left their mark on Western's glorious basketball tradition. Below you will find a complete list of all of these former head coaches as well as accompanying information and photographs.
J. L. Arthur	Seasons: (1914-1916)   Record: (7-2)    Winning Percentage:  (77.8%)
	J. L. Arthur was the first basketball coach in Western's history. During his two seasons at the helm of Western basketball his teams posted a combined record of 7-2.
L. T. Smith	Seasons: (1921-22)  Record: (3-1)   Winning Percentage:  (75.0%)
	The namesake of Western's football stadium, L .T. Smith spent one year coaching basketball in addition to his two years as the head football coach. Smith, along with Pres. H.H. Cherry, was responsible for the subsequent hiring of E. A. Diddle as athletics director and coach of all sports in 1922.
E. A. Diddle	Seasons: (1922-64)  Record: (759-302)   Winning Percentage: (71.5%)
	E. A. Diddle, the legend; the hall of famer; the King of the Hill. No one will ever replace him and no one will ever forget him. The fourth all-time winningest coach in NCAA history, Diddle was perhaps the most loved person to ever set foot on the Hill or in the city of Bowling Green as well. His influence and legend is still alive and well among those who were lucky enough to call Mr. Diddle a friend.
John Oldham	Seasons: (1964-71)   Record: (146-41)   Winning Percentage: (78.1%)
	Johnny Oldham was a former Hilltopper All-American under Coach Diddle in 1949 who was chosen to carry on the Western tradition when Mr. Diddle retired in 1964. It was an unenviable task, but Oldham was more than capable as he led the Toppers to one NIT appearance and four NCAA appearances including one Final Four trip during his seven seasons at the helm.
Jim Richards	Seasons: (1971-78)   Record: (102-84)   Winning Percentage: (54.8%)
	Jim Richards, another Western alum, returned to the Hill as an asst. coach under John Oldham in 1968 after leading Glasgow High to the Kentucky state championship in that same year. During his seven year tenure he led the Toppers to two NCAA appearances.
Gene Keady	Seasons: (1978-80)   Record: (38-19)   Winning Percentage: (66.7%)
	Gene Keady arrived on the Hill in 1978 and coached for only two seasons. His 1979-80 team finished 21-8 and lost an OT game to Va. Tech (89-85) in the first round of the NCAA tourney. He left WKU for Pudue in 1980 and has gone on to have great success in the Big Ten.
Clem Haskins	Seasons: (1980-86)   Record: (101-73)   Winning Percentage: (58.0%)
	Clem the "Gem", a former WKU first team All-American, returned to the Hill in 1977 as an asst. coach under Jim Richards after a nine year career in the NBA. He was retained by Keady and was later named as Western's first ever black head coach in 1980. After leading the Toppers to three postseason tournament appearances in six years, Clem left for the University of Mn. in 1986 where he enjoyed great success. In 1997 he was named NCAA coach of the year.
Murray Arnold	Seasons: (1986-90)   Record: (71-54)   Winning Percentage: (56.8%)
	Murray Arnold arrived at WKU in 1986 as the successor to Clem Haskins. Prior to being named the Hilltopper head man he had enjoyed an excellent career as the head coach at UT-Chattanooga.  His first team at Western posted a 29-9 mark and lost to Syracuse (at Syracuse) in the second round of the 1987 NCAA tourney.
Ralph Willard	Seasons: (1990-94)   Record: (81-42)   Winning Percentage: (65.9%)
	Ralph Willard led the resurgence of Hilltopper basketball as he took three of his four teams into postseason play. His 1992-93 squad made it to the NCAA "Sweet 16" before falling there in OT. In 1994 Willard accepted the head coaching job at the U. of Pittsburgh.
Matt Kilcullen	Seasons: (1994-98)   Record: (59-49)   Winning Percentage: (54.6%)
	Matt Kilcullen arrived on the Hill in 1994 after spending the three previous years at Jacksonville University. In his first year at WKU the Toppers finished with a 27-4 record and made it to the second round of the NCAA tourney before falling to the U. of Kansas. 1995 also marked the second straight year he was named as the Sun Belt coach of the year.
Dennis Felton	Seasons: (1998-2003)   Record: (100-54)   Winning Percentage: (64.9%)
	Dennis Felton came to Western in 1998 from Clemson and helped lead the Toppers out of one of the program's lowest points in its history. During his tenure the Toppers posted a record of 100-54 and captured three straight Sun Belt Conference titles and made three trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2001-04. Felton left Western in 2003 to become head coach at the University of Georgia.