McCracken, Jack D.
Basketball
b. June 11, 1911, Chickasha, OK
d. Jan 5, 1958
A 6-foot-2 center, "Jumping Jack" starred for Hank Iba at Maryville College, now Northwest Missouri State, when the team won 43 straight games. The 1930/31 squad won all 31 of its regular season games. In 1932, Maryville lost in the finals of the AAU national tournament and McCracken was named to the AAU All-American team.
McCracken played on several Denver AAU teams, including the Denver Safeway team that won the 1937 AAU championship and lost in the finals in 1938. He became player-coach of the Denver Nuggets, who won the 1939 championship. Before retiring in 1945, he coached and played for two more AAU champions, the Denver American Legion in 1942 and the Phillips 66ers in 1945.
McCracken was an eight-time AAU All-American, at both forward and guard. In 1939, he was chosen the greatest AAU player of all time.