Bill Musselman

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William Clifford (Bill) Musselman (August 13, 1940 - May 5, 2000) was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. He was a fiercely intense coach who once was quoted as saying "defeat is worse than death, because you have to live with defeat."

[edit] Career

Born in Wooster, Ohio, Musselman first broke onto the coaching scene with the Ashland University Eagles (Ashland, Ohio). There he set a defensive record of holding opponents to an average of 33.9 points per game. His next coaching position took him to the University of Minnesota from 1971-75. In 1972, he led the Gophers to their first Big Ten Championship in 53 years with players such as Dave Winfield, Jim Brewer, Clyde Turner, Corky Taylor, and Ron Behagen. His tenure at Minnesota was tainted after an incident in 1972, when Taylor & Behagen attacked Ohio State University player Luke Witte on the court, near the end of an OSU/Minnesota basketball game. Witte was seriously injured and hospitalized. Musselman maintained that he had nothing to do with the incident but many blamed him in part for stirring his players into a frenzy before the game that night and for encouraging overly aggressive play.

Musselman left the college ranks to join the pro game when he was hired to coach the San Diego Sails (formerly the Conquistadors) of the American Basketball Association before the 1975-1976 season. The team only lasted for 11 games before folding. Musselman then was hired to coach the ABA's Virginia Squires that same year; he was one of five coaches employed by the Squires that season. (At the end of the season, the Squires also folded when the ABA was merged into the NBA).

Musselman coached the Reno Bighorns of the Western Basketball Association in 1978-79, leading the club to the only WBA title game. Reno lost to Herb Brown's Tucson Gunners, four games to three, in the 1979 championship. The league folded soon after.

He later would coach the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers for two separate stints, from 1980 to 1982 (this was during the infamous Ted Stepien era).

He then moved to the Continental Basketball Association's Tampa Bay Thrillers and Albany Patroons winning four consecutive CBA championships against coaches such as Phil Jackson and George Karl from 1984-1988. His 1987-88 Albany team posted a remarkable 48-6 record and featured a roster that included Tony Campbell, Michael Brooks, Sidney Lowe, Michael Ray Richardson, Scott Roth, Reid Gettys, Tod Murphy, Eric Fernsten, Derrick Rowland, Scott Brooks, and Lowes Moore.

In 1989, he was hired to be the inaugural coach for the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves. The move to hire Musselman was a smart one, as he had put basketball back on the map in Minnesota during his time with the Gophers. He set an NBA attendance record in Minnesota that still stands today, while exceeding expectations by guiding the Wolves to a 22-60 record in their first year, and 29-53 their second. However, after the second season with the Wolves, he was fired and replaced with Jimmy Rodgers.

Following his stint with the Wolves, Musselman returned to the NCAA after a 25-year absence with the University of South Alabama in 1995-1996, leading the Jaguars to back-to-back NCAA tournament bids after turning the program around from a 9-18 record. Musselman's 1997 South Alabama team went 23-7 and nearly upset eventual champion University of Arizona in the opening round of the NCAA tournament.

After two seasons with the University of South Alabama, Musselman returned to the NBA as an assistant with the Portland Trail Blazers. This marked the first time in his career that he served as an assistant coach. In April 2000, while working for the Blazers, he was diagnosed with amyloidosis; he died in Rochester, Minnesota one month later. The Trail Blazers used Musselman as an inspiration for their playoff run that season, which ended in the Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, the eventual champions.

Musselman is the father of Eric Musselman, the current head coach of the Sacramento Kings. They are the first father and son to hold the title of NBA head coach.

Preceded by George Hanson	University of Minnesota Head Basketball Coaches 1971–1975	Succeeded by Jim Dutcher
Preceded by Beryl Shipley	San Diego Sails Head Coach 1975	Succeeded by Team folded
Preceded by Mack Calvin	Virginia Squires Head Coach 1975–1976	Succeeded by Jack Ankerson
Preceded by Stan Albeck	Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach 1980–1981	Succeeded by Don Delaney
Preceded by Chuck Daly	Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach 1982	Succeeded by Tom Nissalke
Preceded by Initial coach	Minnesota Timberwolves Head Coach 1989–1991	Succeeded by Jimmy Rodgers

[edit] External links

• BasketballReference.com: Bill Musselman (as coach)
• Book of the Dead: Bill Musselman obituary