ISU Hall-of-Famer And 1944 Final Four Team Member Ray Wehde Passes Away

AMES, Iowa - Iowa State Hall-of-Famer Ray Wehde, a two-time First Team All-Big Six selection and member of Iowa State's 1944 men's basketball Final Four team, died recently at the age of 102.

Along with his twin brother Roy, the Wehdes were a key part of ISU's outstanding teams in the 1940s under the tutelage of head coach Louis Menze.

Wehde was a starting guard and leader on one of ISU's greatest teams, the 1943-44 squad that won the Big Six title and qualified for the school's first NCAA Tournament. Only eight teams were invited at the time, and a first-round win over Pepperdine advanced the Cyclones to what is now referred to as the Final Four.

"We thought we had, and we did have, a good team that year," Wehde said at his ISU Athletics Hall of Fame induction in 2010. "We had the feeling we could go all the way. We beat Pepperdine in the first round and in the second round we played Utah. One of my biggest disappointments is that I fouled out early in the second half. We lost to Utah, but it was a great year with a lot of really fine players."

A native of Holstein, Iowa, Wehde took two years off to join the Navy and support the war effort. He returned to Iowa State for the 1946-47 and 1947-48 seasons, earning first team all-conference recognition for the second time while leading the team in scoring both years. He was among ISU's all-time leading career scorers upon graduation.

Wehde, who was also an All-American in track & field when he finished fourth in the 120-yard hurdles at the 1944 NCAA meet, was ISU's first-ever professional basketball draft pick.

The Basketball Association of America (BAA), which later merged with the National Basketball League to form the National Basketball Association (NBA), held its 1948 draft in Chicago and the Boston Celtics selected Wehde as the 109^th overall pick.

Wehde is survived by his twin brother, Roy, also a four-year letterwinner for the Cyclone men's basketball team. Roy, who turns 103 in June, is believed to be ISU's oldest living basketball alumni.

Iowa State University Athletics

ISU Hall-of-Famer And 1944 Final Four Team Member Ray Wehde Passes Away

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