COACHES' BIOGRAPHIES

Success isn’t accidental.  It takes a combination of things, including a strong work ethic, a good attitude, knowledge, perseverance and some luck.  The coaches should know; cumulatively, they have helped their teams and students win a remarkable:

45 Boxing World Championships
22 Tennis Grand Slam Championships
17 NBA World Championships
16 Olympic Gold Medals
15 Gymnastics World Championships
15 NCAA Wrestling Championships
12 NCAA Men's Basketball Championships
11 Stanley Cup Championships
8 Super Bowl Championships
6 World Series Championships
5 NCAA Football Championships
2 Australian WNBL Championships
1 WNBA World Championship

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THE COACHES

Arnold “Red” Auerbach – Pride of the Celtics
Birth date: September 20, 1917
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York
Claim to fame: Winner of 9 NBA titles as a coach, 7 more as a front office executive.
Appropriate quote about Auerbach: “When I came to the Celtics there was this Celtic mystique.  And I was one of the few skeptics.  Finally, it came through to me after we had won the championship.  I went up to Red and said, ‘Now I understand what the Celtic mystique is.’  And he was about the proudest man in the world.”
– Paul Silas, former Celtics player and former NBA head coach

Red Auerbach is generally considered the greatest coach in the history of the NBA.  His Boston Celtics have won 16 World Championships, including 9 in his last 10 seasons as head coach, and another 7 after he moved to the front office... 

Dusty Baker – Players’ Manager
Birth date: June 15, 1949
Birthplace: Riverside, CA
Claim to fame: 3-time NL Manager of the Year.
Appropriate quote about Baker: “It’s pretty obvious that he’s one of the best in the business.  Every player he gets, he gets the most out of him.”
– Jim Hendry, Chicago Cubs General Manager

Johnnie L. “Dusty” Baker was a talented athlete, graduating from Del Campo High School in Carmichael, CA, in 1967 as a star in four sports: baseball, basketball, football and track.  And though he wasn’t drafted by the Atlanta Braves until the 26th round in 1967, Hank Aaron said, “Dusty Baker has more potential than any outfielder I’ve seen in all my seasons with the Braves...”

Brian Billick – Courage of his Convictions
Birth date: February 28, 1954
Birthplace: Fairborn, OH
Claim to fame: Coached Baltimore Ravens to Super Bowl victory in 2000.
Appropriate quote about Billick: “Coach Billick is someone with a proven track record of motivating people to succeed.”
– University of Maryland President, David J. Ramsay

Billick entered college at Air Force and played linebacker as a freshman before transferring to BYU, where he made honorable mention as a tight end in 1976.  He was drafted and released by the San Francisco 49ers in 1977, then had a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys but did not play...

Nick Bollettieri – An Ace of a Coach
Birth date: July 31, 1931
Birthplace: North Pelham, NY
Claim to fame: Founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, the world’s first full-time tennis school.
Appropriate quote about Bollettieri: “Everyone there [at Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy] is just very dedicated.  They’re working all the time, and that’s a good environment to be in if you want to be a professional athlete.”
– tennis player Miles Kasiri

Nick Bollettieri is a tennis maverick who revolutionized the way tennis and sports are taught in the United States and across the globe.  In 1977, he founded the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy (NBTA), training junior tennis players on weekends for $35 per session.  A year later, he was so successful, he began offering students a full-time curriculum along with room and board...

Bobby Bowden – Southern Fried Winner
Birth date: November 8, 1929
Birthplace: Birmingham, Alabama
Claim to fame: Winningest coach in Division I college football history.
Appropriate quote about Bowden: “When he says, ‘This is how I would have done it,’ you get the message that’s the way you better do it.  And when it’s over, it’s over.  When you walk out that door, he’ll say, ‘OK, buddy, let’s go get ‘em.’”
– FSU assistant coach Darrell Mudra

Teams expecting southern hospitality are in for a rude awakening when they visit the Florida State Seminoles in Tallahassee.  Under Coach Bobby Bowden, the ‘Noles have been one of the most dominant college football programs in the nation for more than twenty years, and Bowden’s coaching legend has become folklore in the tradition-rich south...

Scotty Bowman – The Greatest Coach on Ice
Birth date: September 18, 1933
Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Claim to fame: Winner of 9 Stanley Cups with three different teams.
Appropriate quote about Bowman: “He doesn’t accept mediocrity, and he’s instilled that in us.”
– Darren McCarty, former Detroit Red Wings forward

Scotty Bowman is a true success story of perseverance, determination and grit.  Undoubtedly the most successful coach in the history of the NHL, he is ranked #1 in wins, playoff wins and Stanley Cup victories, with 9.  Bowman has coached many of the greatest players the league has ever seen, including Guy La Fleur, Bob Gainey, Gilbert Perrault, Steve Yzerman, Dominik Hasek and Mario Lemeuix...

John Chaney – The Perennial Overachiever
Birth date: January 21, 1932
Birthplace: Jacksonville, Florida
Claim to fame: Creator of trapping “Matchup Zone ” defense to slow down games and play to his teams strengths.
Appropriate quote about Chaney: “Coach is like the father figure that most of us don’t have.”
– Kevin Lyde, former Temple center

John Chaney is a Philadelphia institution.  He is as famous for his passionate, sideline tirades as he is for taking many underprivileged student-athletes and molding them into winners.  Since becoming the head men’s basketball coach of the Temple Owls in 1982, he resurrected the program, leading them to 20 postseason appearances in 21 years and a total of 18 NCAA Tournament appearances...

Bill Cowher – Man of Steel

Birth date: May 8, 1957
Birthplace: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Claim to fame: Fiery, Super Bowl winning head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Appropriate quote about Cowher: “He’s mellowed some, but in ways that affect the team, he hasn’t changed one bit.  He’s as fiery as he’s always been.  As a player, you feed off it.”
– former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis

Bill Cowher was born to coach the Steelers and is as synonymous with Pittsburgh as U.S. Steel.  A former linebacker and special teams standout, Cowher looks the part of football renegade, sometimes appearing as though he would still like to run on the field himself and get in on the action.  He is emotional on the sidelines and can often be seen engaging in animated discussions with players and referees.  His distinctive mustache and powerful jawline mirror his forceful personality...

Anne Donovan – Tower of Consistency
Birth date: November 1, 1961
Birthplace: Ridgewood, New Jersey
Claim to fame: First female coach to win the WNBA championship.
Appropriate quote about Donovan: “Anne Donovan is an accomplished head coach, an excellent communicator, a student of the game and a great spokesperson for women’s basketball.”
– Billy McKinney, Seattle Storm General Manager

At 6’8”, Anne Donovan was a force to be reckoned with under the basket as a player.  Now, as she strolls sidelines in the WNBA, she’s become an intimidating presence as well, known to coach hard-working teams with a suffocating defense.   In high school, Donovan was unstoppable...

Angelo Dundee – Trainer of Champions
Birth date: August 30, 1921
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Claim to fame: Hall of Fame boxing trainer of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.
Appropriate quote about Dundee: “He is the only man in boxing to whom I would entrust my own son.”
– Sportscaster Howard Cosell

He looks and speaks like the neighborhood grocery store vendor, but don’t be fooled, underneath his unassuming exterior Angelo Dundee is a master motivator and one of the greatest boxing trainers of the 20th Century.  He has trained 15 World Champions, including boxing legends Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman...

Tony Dungy – Patience and Persistence
Birth date: October 6, 1955
Birthplace: Jackson, Michigan
Claim to fame: Intelligent, defensive-minded football coach.
Appropriate quote about Dungy: “In this league, with dogs and people stabbing you in the back and all the things he’s been through, he’s still looked upon as a good man with integrity.  That’s so admirable.”
– Tarik Glenn, Indianapolis Colts tackle

Tony Dungy’s football intellect was developed while playing a variety of positions, from quarterback to wide receiver to safety, and becoming an assistant coach in the NFL at the tender age of 25.  Dungy attended college at the University of Minnesota and quarterbacked the Golden Gophers from 1973 to ’76, earning team MVP honors twice.  He left the school as their career leader in a number of offensive categories...

Herman Edwards – Miracle in the Meadowlands
Birthdate: April 27, 1954
Birthplace: Eatontown, NJ (Fort Monmouth Army Base)
Claim to fame: Recovered fumble for “Miracle in the Meadowlands.”
Appropriate quote about Edwards: “Herm cares about his players.  He’ll go to bat for you, as long as you work hard for him.”
– Jason Ferguson, Jets nose tackle

On November 19, 1978, one of the most memorable plays in NFL history occurred. With only twenty seconds left in the game, Herman Edwards of the Philadelphia Eagles picked up a fumble by New York Giants quarterback Joe Pisarcik, and sprinted 26 yards into the end zone, giving the Eagles the victory, and a playoff berth... 

Jeff Fisher – Coach of the Titans
Birth date: February 25, 1958
Birthplace: Culver City, CA
Claim to fame: Bright, defensive minded coach of the Tennessee Titans.
Appropriate quote about Fisher: “You can’t do anything but believe in the guy because he’s still fighting.  And you know you’ve got to believe in a fighter.”
– former Titans linebacker Barron Wortham

Jeff Fisher is a Southern California native with a football pedigree.  He was a high school All-American at Toreadors of Taft High School in Woodland Hills, then attended college at USC from 1977 to ‘80, playing defensive back in a star-studded Trojans secondary that included future NFL stars Joey Browner, Dennis Smith and Ronnie Lott.  He was a member of USC’s 1978 national championship team...

Dan Gable – Master of the Mat
Birth date: October 25, 1948
Birthplace: Waterloo, Iowa
Claim to fame: Led University of Iowa to 15 NCAA wrestling championships.
Appropriate quote about Gable: “In my eyes, Dan Gable is one of the best coaches ever in any sport.  He’s relentless.  I’ve seen other schools wrestle, and it’s like a half-court game. Not Dan. It’s exciting, attacking all over the mat – like a transition game.”
– University of Iowa women’s basketball coach, Angie Lee (Bombulie, 2005)

Dan Gable’s luminous reputation is such that he has been referred to as the Babe Ruth of wrestling. A living legend in his native Iowa, he is by far the most well known and respected figure wrestling has ever seen, possessing an almost superhuman drive to succeed.
At Waterloo West High School, he went undefeated from 1963 to ’66, and upon graduation, he attended Iowa State University, where compiled a near flawless 118-1 record as a collegiate wrestler...

Brad Gilbert – Tennis Guru
Birth date: September 8, 1961
Birthplace: Oakland, CA
Claim to fame: Turned around career of Andre Agassi
Appropriate quote about Gilbert: “What Brad helped me with the most was the ability to believe in myself by learning to think for myself.  A great coach can lead you to a place where you don’t need him anymore. Brad Gilbert is a great coach.”
– Tennis great, Andre Agassi

In 1980 Brad Gilbert was a 5’8”, 130 lb. college tennis player with a big ego and little game.  At Foothills Junior College in Los Altos Hills, CA, his college coach Tom Chivington taught him to strengthen his game by improving his work ethic and strategy so he could outwork and outsmart more talented opponents.  Now Gilbert is a coach who brings out the best in his players by accenting their strengths and exploiting opponents’ weaknesses...

Carrie Graf – A Winner from Down Under
Birth date: Unknown
Birthplace: Unknown
Claim to fame: Famed Australian basketball player and coach.
Appropriate quote about Graf: “I know what I can expect with her as a head coach.  She is a very enthusiastic person when it comes to the game of basketball, and her coaching credentials in Australia really speak for themselves.”
– Kayte Christensen, Phoenix Mercury forward

Carrie Graf hails from down under as an experienced winner in international competition as both a player and coach. She played professionally from 1983-90, with the Nunawading Spectres of the WNBL, earning Rookie of the Year honors in the Australian Club Championships in 1983, and making the under-18 All-Australian Squad in 1984. She won five WNBL titles with the Spectres...

April Heinrichs – Soccer Pioneer
Birth date: February 27, 1964
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado
Claim to fame: Coached the 2004 US Women’s team to the Olympic gold medal.
Appropriate quote about Heinrichs: “She is an unbelievable leader, motivator, and tactician.  As a former captain and world champion with the national team, April is a proven winner.”
– Julie Foudy, former U.S. team co-captain

As a little girl, April Heinrichs discovered in soccer a release to channel the tenacious competitiveness which would become her trademark as a player and coach.  She pioneered women’s soccer in the United States, gaining a reputation as a fierce competitor who could outwork and outwill opponents...

Dorrell Norman “Whitey” Herzog – The White Rat
Birth date: November 9, 1931
Birthplace: New Athens, IL
Claim to fame: Managed 1982 St. Louis Cardinals to World Series victory.
Appropriate quote about Herzog: “Every game is like a chess match with Whitey, and other managers must feel like they are playing against 10 guys when they go up against him.”
– Columnist Larry King

St. Louis is a true baseball town and Whitey Herzog is one of it's favorite sons.  In the 1980s he returned to his hometown and came into his own as a manger, rebuilding the proud Cardinals’ franchise with strong pitching, blazing speed and wily managing...

Ken Hitchcock – A History of Winning
Birth date: December 17, 1951
Birthplace: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Claim to fame: Stanley Cup-winning head coach of the 1998-99 Dallas Stars
Appropriate quote about Hitchcock: “Coach Hitchcock is widely regarded as one of the top hockey coaches in the world.”
-Princeton University hockey coach, Guy Gadowsky

He’s known around the league as Hitch, and is one of hockey’s most friendly and knowledgeable coaches. Hitch has a way with people. He makes you feel comfortable and is an articulate conversationalist with a broad variety of interests.  His coaching career began in 1984 with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League...

Bela Karolyi – A Perfect 10 of a Coach
Birth date: September 13, 1942
Birthplace: Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Claim to fame: World’s most famous and successful gymnastics coach.
Appropriate quote about Karolyi: “It’s not by accident that Bela is who he is and has accomplished what he has. It’s by very, very hard work and that’s what he instills in all of us. Work.”
– Kathy Kelly, the U.S. women's gymnastics program director

Karolyi the coach is known as a taskmaster, a driving force imploring his young pupils to succeed. For this he has drawn criticism from inside and outside the sport. His students, however see it differently, “Bela is a consummate perfectionist, who puts himself on the line for the good of his athletes,” says Betty Okino...

Trudi Lacey – Believe in Yourself
Birth date: Withheld
Birthplace: Withheld
Claim to fame: Head Coach/GM of WNBA’s Charlotte Sting
Appropriate quote about Lacey: “Trudi is a proven leader with a great mind for the game and a winning rapport with her players and staff.”
– Ed Tapscott, CEO, Charlotte Bobcats & Sting

Trudi Lacey was a star player at North Carolina State University, being named as an All-American in 1980. She was twice named the team’s MVP and was a four-time All-AIAW Tournament selection.  She began her coaching career as an assistant with Manhattan College in 1981...

Marvin Lewis – Hard-Hitter
Birth date: September 23, 1958
Birthplace: McDonald, PA
Claim to fame: Defensive coordinator of 2000 Super Bowl champions Baltimore Ravens
Appropriate quote about Lewis: “It’s all due to Marvin Lewis.  He completely turned this ball club around.  He taught us everything, from how to practice, how to lift, how to study tape, and all the little things… eat right, get your rest.  Stuff we never used to do before that he brought here, and everyone bought into his system.”
– Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson

Marvin Lewis coaches with the aggressive, hard-hitting mentality of a linebacker, the position he played at Iowa State from 1978-’80, earning All-Big Sky Conference honors in those seasons.
Lewis began his coaching career at Idaho State, from 1981-’84, earning his degree in physical education in 1981, and his Master’s in athletic administration in 1982...

Lute Olson – The Silver Fox
Birth date: September 22, 1934
Birthplace: Mayville, North Dakota
Claim to fame: Hall of Fame basketball coach of the University of Arizona
Appropriate quote about Olson: “He was a father figure that always had his office open and time to talk.”
– Chris Mills, former University of Arizona forward

With his impeccable suits, rigid posture and shining white hair, Lute Olson looks like the President of the United States. He’s been manning the sidelines on college courts for over 30 years and has compiled a sparkling resume to match his stylish appearance...

Tom Osborne – The Nebraskan
Birth date: February 23, 1937
Birthplace: Hastings, Nebraska
Claim to fame: 3 National Championships as a coach
Appropriate quote about Osborne: ”Tom Osborne is one of the good guys in coaching and in any profession.  He's an icon in Nebraska and in this nation.”
– Bobby Bowden, legendary Florida State football coach

Tom Osborne is a Midwesterner who epitomizes the strong, silent type. As head football coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, he was as steady as they come, letting his record speak for itself.Osborne graduated from Hastings College in Nebraska in 1959 as a star quarterback and basketball player. He played three seasons in the NFL...

Duane Charles “Bill” Parcells – The Big Tuna
Birth date: August 27, 1941
Birthplace: Englewood, New Jersey
Claim to fame: Two-time Super Bowl winning coach of the New York Giants.
Appropriate quote from a player: “When we were playing real well as a team, he was miserable because he needs friction.  He lives on that friction.  He needs adversity, and he’s got to have a spat going with a player.  If there’s no adversity, he’ll create it.”
– former Giants quarterback Phil Simms

Parcells was born in Englewood, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Oradell, where he attended River Dell High School in the mid-1950s. He was a big young man at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, and he excelled in three sports: football, baseball and basketball.  After high school, Clemson and Auburn offered Parcells athletic scholarships, but he chose Colgate instead...

Mike Scioscia - Solid as a Rock
Birth date: November 27, 1958
Birthplace: Upper Darby Township, PA
Claim to fame: 3-time World Series winner.
Appropriate quote about Scioscia: “He’s the best plate-blocking catcher I’ve seen in 46 years of baseball.”
– Al Campanis, former Dodgers’ Vice-President

Mike Scioscia has been playing and managing baseball on the west coast for over thirty years, but still employs the workmanlike philosophy instilled in him as a youth growing up just outside of Philadelphia.  Scioscia attended Springfield High School in Pennsylvania and was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first round...

Orlando “Tubby” Smith
Birth date: June 30, 1951
Birthplace: Scotland, Maryland
Claim to fame: Coached Kentucky Wildcats to 1998 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Appropriate quote about Smith: “Tubby has more integrity and honesty and class than any person I’ve found in this business.”
– University of Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart (espn.com 2003)

Tubby Smith has been a leader since his playing days at High Point College in North Carolina. He was the team’s co-captain in his junior year and captain in his senior year, graduating as an All-Carolina Conference player in 1973.  In 1974, Smith returned home to coach at the high school where he had starred as a player...

Emanuel Steward – Motor City Maestro
Birth date: 1944 (exact date unknown)
Birthplace: Bottom Creek, West Virginia
Claim to fame: Founder of world famous Kronk Boxing and trainer of 29 world champion fighters.
Appropriate quote about Steward: “He’s not just a good trainer, he’s a surrogate father to his boxers. He took them off the street corners and taught them how to fight, and he always took care of them and got them started. "
– Lou Duva, hall of fame boxing trainer

Emanuel Steward was born in West Virginia and moved with his family to Detroit, Michigan, when he was eleven years old.  The tough youngster earned respect in his new neighborhood by fighting his way through the city streets.  Eventually, at his mother’s urging, he found his way inside a boxing gym and excelled, winning Detroit’s Golden Gloves Championship in 1962 and the National Golden Gloves Bantamweight Championship in 1963...

Joe Torre – Yankee Skipper
Birth date: July 18, 1940
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
Claim to fame: Managed Yankees to 4 World Series titles in 6 years.
Appropriate quote about Torre: “He just has that aura that makes you feel confident and comfortable to do well.”
– Alex Rodriguez, Yankees third baseman

Joe Torre grew up with baseball in his blood. His older brother Frank played first base for the Milwaukee Braves from 1956 to ’60, helping them win the World Series in 1957. Joe broke into the major leagues with Milwaukee in 1960, when he was just twenty years old. As a catcher, he was an all-star from 1963 to 1967, winning the gold glove in 1965...

John Tortorella – Go For It
Birth date: June 24, 1958
Birthplace: Boston, MA
Claim to fame: Stanley Cup winning head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Appropriate quote about Tortorella: “He took over and was really hard on us.  We didn’t know why.  But now we know.  He had a plan.”
– Tampa Bay Lightning center Brad Richards

John Tortorella is an enthusiastic straight-talker from Boston who doesn’t mince words, saying exactly what’s on his mind.  His team plays an aggressive, offensive-style reflective of their coach’s energetic personality...

Dick Vermeil – A Burning Desire to Win
Birth date: October 30, 1936
Birthplace: Calistoga, California
Claim to fame: Super Bowl-winning head coach of the St. Louis Rams “Greatest Show on Turf”.
Appropriate quote about Vermeil: “He’s a guy players will run through walls for, because he is an honest coach.  He is not a BSer; he’s a man of his word.  He is genuine with not just the star players but with everybody on his roster.”
– former Rams linebacker and defensive captain London Fletcher

Vermeil was born and raised in Calistoga, California and attended Calistoga High School, where he was a four-sport star. After high school, Vermeil attended Napa Junior College for a year before moving on to San Jose State, where he played quarterback and earned his master’s degree in physical education in 1959...

Bill Walsh – The Genius
Birth date: November 30, 1931
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California
Claim to fame: Inventor of the “West Coast Offense” and winner of 3 Super Bowls as a head coach.
Appropriate quote about Walsh: “There are a lot of things that I learned from Bill throughout my career, but I think the one thing that I continue throughout my life is that want to be perfect.  The need for perfection.  He pushed me and pushed us, especially the quarterback position which he was so proud of, to want to be perfect.  And if you missed perfect, you end up with great, and that he could handle, nothing else.  He taught me to be the same way.”
– Joe Montana, hall of fame quarterback

The San Francisco 49ers of the 1970s were one of the worst teams in the NFL, perennial losers who were never even in contention to make the playoffs. In 1979, Bill Walsh took over as their head coach after seventeen years as an assistant. He had invented his own system, the “West Coast Offense” which was built on the short passing game. The new philosophy defied conventional football wisdom of the era which stated a need to run the ball effectively first in order to set up the passing game...

Lenny Wilkens – Coaching Diplomat
Birth date: October 28, 1937
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
Claim to fame: Winningest and losingest coach in NBA history.
Appropriate quote about Wilkens: “Lenny has coached and can coach all kinds of different styles and be successful doing it.  That’s one of the things that’s so great about him.  I guess that’s why he’s in the Hall of Fame.”
– Isiah Thomas, basketball hall of famer

Lenny Wilkens is one of the NBA’s most well-traveled and successful figures. He overcame childhood poverty and racism to make it off Brooklyn’s mean streets and into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.  Wilkens attended Boys’ High School in Brooklyn, then Providence College in Rhode Island where he was a standout guard, averaging nearly 15 points a game throughout his college career...

John Wooden – The Wizard of Westwood
Birth date: October 14, 1910
Birthplace: Hall, Indiana
Claim to fame: Fabled UCLA basketball coach who won of 10 NCAA men’s basketball championships.
Appropriate quote about Wooden: “John Wooden gave us the necessary tools to overcome the adversity and obstacles that he knew from the beginning would always be in our way.”
– Bill Walton, college and pro basketball great

John Wooden was born and raised in the country’s heartland, in the basketball haven of Indiana. As a youth he started shooting hoops into a tomato basket nailed onto the side of a barn on his family’s farm, and developed into an all-state high school player.  He then went to college at Purdue, where he became a 3-time All-American and the College Player of the Year in 1932.  He was nicknamed the “Indiana Rubber Man” for his ability bounce back up after throwing himself all over the court...