A true sportsman of Oregon, John Warren (November 10, 1904 – March 10, 1981) sewed success wherever he roamed the state, leading legendary programs at Astoria High School and the University of Oregon.
built the Astoria High basketball program into a state power, helped coach the University of Oregon to the 1939 NCAA title and earned the nickname “Honest John” during a three-decade coaching career at the school.
Born in LaGrande in 1904, Warren excelled as an athlete in football, eventually playing two seasons for the Oregon Webfoots in 1926 & ’27.
After graduating with a business degree, Warren moved to Astoria, became basketball coach and led the Fishermen to a second-place finish at the state tournament in 1929. Astoria then won state titles in 1930, ’32, ’34 and ’35, using Warren’s up-tempo style, which contradicted the established style of play during the era of the center jump following every basket.
After the 1935 title, new Oregon coach Howard Hobson recruited him to Eugene and Astoria standouts Bobby Anet, Wally Johansen and Ted Sarpola followed. Anet and Johansen were two of the starters on the 1939 NCAA championship team.
During World War II, Warren coached the Oregon football team to a 2-6 record in 1942 and the basketball team to a 30-15 record and third-place finish in the NCAA Tournament West Regional in 1944-45.
Warren officially took over for Hobson in 1947 and guided the Ducks for four seasons, serving as an assistant on the football team for two of those seasons. No coach developed more Oregon athletes than John Warren.
Warren coached track and field as an assistant at Oregon into the 1950s, when he became a business owner in Eugene. He helped raise funds for the school to build Autzen Stadium and later helped create a Hall of Fame for the UO athletic department, contributing numerous historic photos to the school library.
Warren’s son Charlie became an athletic standout in Eugene and the University of Oregon as a basketball player.
John Warren is also a member of the University of Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame.