Hall of Fame
Glen Piper was a two-year standout of the Northwestern basketball team from 1960-62. After graduating with a degree in education in 1963 and obtaining his master’s degree in 1969 from Northwestern, Piper went on to be a successful educator as a teacher, coach and administrator with 44 years of service in public education.
On the basketball court, Piper took the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference by storm in his first season in Alva as he averaged 20 points a game to lead the league in scoring. The junior joined teammates Stewart Arthurs and J.D. Smith as All-OIC performers. Piper and the Rangers finished the 1960-61 season with a 16-8 record, highlighted by beating eventual OIC champions Oklahoma Baptist University.
Piper followed his junior campaign with another outstanding season in 1961-62. The Dodge City, Kansas native averaged 22.3 points a game, totaling 514 points that season, a single season school record at the time. Piper’s career high in a Northwestern uniform came on Jan. 26, 1962, at East Central with 33 points. Northwestern finished the 61-62 season with a record of 13-10.
Piper helped the Rangers to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1948-50. At the time, the OIC was loaded with talent and coached by Hall of Fame coaches, leaving some to believe it was as good, or better, than the Big Eight conference during the same period.
Athletic accolades wasn’t the only thing Piper received in his second year while on Northwestern’s campus. Piper received the honor of student Education Major of the Year.
After his playing career was only, Piper began his legendary career in the classroom as a part-time accounting instructor while he was still a student, as well as serving on the Northwestern coaching staff as a student assistant coach.
As a full-time educator, Piper taught accounting and business courses and coached high school and college basketball and baseball in multiple school districts in southern Kansas, as well as Hugo, Colorado. He became the superintendent of schools at South Barber in Kiowa, Kansas, and continued there until retirement. Piper also had stints as the dean of students at Pratt (Kansas) Community College and head basketball coach at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa.
Piper received many awards and honors in his professional career, including the Northwestern Outstanding Graduate Education Award in 1994. He is a firm believer in the education he received from Northwestern.
Before coming to Northwestern, Piper was the first ever high school All-American at Dodge City High School. The multi-sport standout was recruited by 20 Division I programs at the time, and chose to attend University of Colorado as both a basketball and baseball player. He was inducted into the DCHS Ring of Honor in 2018.
Piper and his wife, Donna, have three children; Troy, Ty and Trina.
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