Did you know Phog Allen grew up in Independence?

The new movie Jawhawkers tells the story of Philadelphia-born future basketball star Wilt Chamberlin's decision to play basketball under the legendary coach Phog Allen who was coach at the University of Kansas.

While Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen made his name - and established his legendary status as a KU coach - he actually spent most his youth in Independence, Mo.

The Allen Brothers basketball team: Homer (Al), Elmer (A2), Harry (A3), Forest "Phog" (A4), Humbert (A5), Richard "Dick" (A6) and mascot Homer Jr. (born 1901). Photo from JCHS Archives.

The family lived at 802 North Union near both the residences of a young Harry Truman and Bess Wallace.

In his youth, Phog played on a family basketball team - known as the Amazing Allen Brothers - that formed in 1904 and included all six brothers.

We hope to share more of Phog Allen's Jackson County connections in our upcoming JCHS Journal in an article by Blair Kerkhoff, a Kansas City Star sports reporter and author of Phog Allen: The Father of Basketball Coaching.