Eddie Diddle, Jr., and Mary Jo Phillips express the family’s gratitude for honoring their father, longtime and winningest Western Kentucky Univeristy basketball coach E. A. Diddle Saturday night during the coach’s jersey retirement ceremony at halftime. (Photo by Clinton Lewis)

The Hilltopper of all Hilltoppers is how emcee John Asher introduced the introduction of halftime ceremonies honoring former legendary coach E. A. Diddle.As 16 former WKU All-Americans looked up, a jersey revealing the COACH across the middle was unveiled as the fifth in a series of six jerseys to be retired this season honoring former Western greats. Ed Diddle Jr., the coachs son and his sister, Mary Jo Phillips, accepted a plaque in honor of their father who, when he retired in 1964, was the winningest coach in college basketball history. Diddle said the ceremony moved him because he knew his father earned the respect that he got.He used to say, Youve got to win respect, you cant demand it, Ed Diddle Jr. said in a courtside interview. Too many coaches now just want to demand it, but he earned it. E. A. Diddles motivating power earned him 759 college basketball wins. And 36 years later, hes still the sixth-winningest coach in history.