Robert A. Kurland was born December 23, 1924 in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from high school in Jennings, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis, and then headed to Oklahoma A&M College (OAMC). Towering above all other basketball players, Kurland was among the first seven-foot basketball players. At OAMC, he played for Coach Henry Iba from 1942 through 1946. With Kurland on the squad, the Aggies became the first team to win two consecutive NCAA championships in 1945 and 1946. He passed away September 29, 2013. In this oral history interview excerpt from the O-STATE Stories oral history collection, Kurland talks about meeting Mr. Iba for the first time and his early experiences in Stillwater. For more, visit the
Oklahoma Oral History Research Program at the OSU Library.
