Did not win a national title, why is he on the list?

2nd only to the Baron of the Bluegrass, Coach Rupp!! Go Cats!!!!

ONE WOULD HAVE TO RATE DIDDLE AS A VERY GOOD COACH, HAD HE PLAYED A BETTER TYPE OPPONANT SEASON WIDE, HE DOULD HAVE BEEN DEEMED GREAT! WHILE WESTEN DID INFACT TAKE WESTERN TO THE N.I.T. AND NCAA--THE REALITY IS THAT HE WENT WITH THOSE TEAMS! DIDDLE GOT PLENTY OF MAJOR COLLEGE TYPE PLAYERS AT WESTERN KENTUCKY---HIS NUMBER OF PLAYERS THAT ENTERED INTO THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS TESTIFY TO THAT, BUT THE MAJORITY OF HIS GAMES WERE AGAINST TODAY'S EQUAL OF N.A.I.A., AND JUNIOR COLLEGES! AMAZINGLY, DIDDLE IS RATED IN THIS STRING, AS BEING SUPERIOR TO RUPP, YET THREE OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS FOR WESTERN IN IT's 1940's SUPER ERA, WERE SENT TO WESTERN FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY AS CAST-OFFS! EVEN IN THE 1960's WHEN WESTERN AGAIN WAS PUT BACK IN THE HIGH MAJOR RANKINGS , BY COACH JOHN OLDHAM, THE 2nd,- 3rd BEST PLAYER OF THE 60's WAYNE CHAPMAN, WAS A TRANSFER FROM KENTUCKY! STARTING IN 1969 WESTERN HIT THE JIM McDANIALS ERA OF PLAYING SUPER BASKETBALL--EVEN GOING TO THE 1971 FINAL FOUR---AND BEATING U.K. BADLY, ON THE WAY---ONLY TO LOSE THE ENTIRE McDANIALS ERA BECAUSE OF A MAJOR CHEATING SCANDAL! BIG MAC, HAD SIGNED WITH AN AGENT, SEVERAL OF THE PLAYERS ENTERED WESTERN ON LOADED GRADES , AND THE ENTIRE ERA's GRADUATION RATE THE TOP PLAYERS WAS NEAR ZERO! AMAZINGLY DIDDLE, LEFT WESTERN KENTUCKY COLLEGE AS THE WINNINGEST COACH IN COLLEGE AND NEVER HAD AN INTEGRATED TEAM--NOTHING SAID! ADOLPH RUPP, WHEN HE LEFT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY AS THE WINNINGEST COACH OF ALL TIMES, HAD ONLY ONE INTEGRATED TEAM--AND IS RAKED OVER THE COALS EVERY SEASON!--INCLUDING E.S.P.N. LAST NIGHT -09-31-05

ralph miller. oregon state. had the beavs in the top twenty for two months in 1980 before falling prey to a rolando blakman jumper (k. state) in the tourney. badass. mentored by naismith, buddies with phog, a world class decathlete and a freaking icon.

If only more people knew the HISTORY of basketball, they would know what a great catch Diddle really was.

No comment...these guys on here have said enough...Go Tops

Has Roy Williams achieved national prominence? Did Jim Boeheim before Anthony led him to a national title? What about John Chaney, who's never even been to the final four. We put way too much emphasis on national championships. Diddle coached at a small school and coached it to a big, big stage. The other have posted the numbers, I'm just going to say that your standard of measurement is flawed.

Saying that Diddle did never achieved national prominence is just ignorant. His legacy suffers because Western Kentucky slipped to mid-major status in the 1970s and most sports writers and fans don't know their history. Diddle's WK was the first school from Kentucky to be invited to the NCAA tournament and the NIT (this was in the days when only 8 teams were invited to each tournament - so you had to be highly respected just to get an invitation). Before there even was an NIT or NCAA WK was invited to represent the South in the 1936 National Olympics. He took his team to 3 NIT final fours, including the 1942 title game, in the days when the NIT was superior or on par to the NCAA. At the time of his retirement in 1964 he was the winningest coach in college basketball history. He took a small town college and turned it into a national power on a limited budget. In short he is the finest coach the state of Kentucky has ever produced.

You are way off base. Ed Diddle would play anyone anytime. He had many All-Americans. Won tons of games and by the way at one time the NIT waas superior to the NCAA. The NIT would only take the top 8 teams in the country. So some people need to do some research before commenting. Ed Diddle was a GREAT coach and a GREAT teacher of life. He loved his players so much that the called hin Uncle Ed. Adolph Rupp would not dare play WKU. Rupp has been quoted in his own book you would think that our players could play defence with as much money that we pay them.He also said something about a recruit of his, we really did not want him, I just did not want Ohio State to get him. He was also a racist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So you do do not know diddle about Ed Diddle. Kentuckian by birth, Western Kentucky University Alumni, fan and supporter by the grace of God. I'm Outta here.

Eight NITs when the NIT was a superior tourney to the NCAA. Teamed played in the 1941 national Title game.