Hugh Greer
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 5, 1904 Suffield, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | January 14, 1963 (aged 58) Storrs, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1926 | UConn |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1947–1963 | UConn |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 285–112 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 12 Yankee Conference championships | |
Hugh Greer (August 5, 1904 – January 14, 1963) was the Connecticut Huskies men's basketball coach from 1946 to 1963.
Biography[edit]
Early life and education[edit]
Born on August 5, 1904,[1] in Suffield, Connecticut, Hugh Scott Greer[1] went to school at Connecticut Agricultural College (CAC, now the University of Connecticut). As a basketball player at CAC, Greer helped lead his school to a New England Conference championship in 1926.
Coaching career[edit]
Greer coached basketball at the University of Connecticut (UConn) from 1947 to 1963.[2] As head coach of the Connecticut Huskies he led UConn to seven NCAA Tournaments and one National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berth, as well as 12 Yankee Conference championships overall and 10 consecutively from the 1950–51 season through the 1959–60 season. He ended his career with a record of 285–112 and a .718 win percentage.[2] He was the winningest coach in UConn history until Jim Calhoun passed him in 1998.
In 1954, Greer famously led UConn to a 78–77 victory against undefeated Holy Cross, breaking the Crusaders' 47-game home winning streak. (That season, Holy Cross went on to win the 1954 NIT title.) In 1956, Greer led UConn to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, where the Huskies lost in a close game to Temple.
Greer led UConn until he died of a massive heart attack on January 14, 1963. Assistant coach George Wigton finished out the 1962–63 season and led the Huskies to the 1963 NCAA Tournament. UConn credits the first 10 games of the season to Greer and the rest of the season (including the NCAA Tournament appearance) to Wigton.
Head coaching record[edit]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut Huskies (Yankee Conference) (1946–1963) | |||||||||
| 1946–47 | Connecticut | 12–0[Note A] | 5–0[Note A] | 2nd | |||||
| 1947–48 | Connecticut | 17–6 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1948–49 | Connecticut | 19–6 | 7–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1949–50 | Connecticut | 17–8 | 5–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1950–51 | Connecticut | 22–4 | 6–1 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1951–52 | Connecticut | 20–7 | 6–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1952–53 | Connecticut | 17–4 | 5–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1953–54 | Connecticut | 22–3 | 7–0 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1954–55 | Connecticut | 20–5 | 7–0 | 1st | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1955–56 | Connecticut | 17–11 | 6–1 | 1st | NCAA Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1956–57 | Connecticut | 17–8 | 8–0 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1957–58 | Connecticut | 17–10 | 9–1 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1958–59 | Connecticut | 17–7 | 8–2 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1959–60 | Connecticut | 17–9 | 8–2 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
| 1960–61 | Connecticut | 11–13 | 6–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1961–62 | Connecticut | 16–8 | 7–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1962–63 | Connecticut | 7–3[Note B] | 4–0[Note B] | 1st[Note B] | |||||
| Connecticut: | 285–112 (.718) | 110–22 (.833) | |||||||
| Total: | 285–112 (.718) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Awards[edit]
- 1957: University of Connecticut Distinguished Alumni Award[3]
Notes[edit]
- ^A. When head coach Blair Gullion left Connecticut in mid-season in 1946, the Huskies had a record of 4–2 overall and 1–1 in the Yankee Conference. Greer moved from assistant coach to the head coach position and led the Huskies for the rest of the 1946–47 season. Connecticut finished the season with an overall record of 16–2 and a record of 6–1 and a second-place finish in the Yankee Conference.
- ^B. After Greer died in January 1963, assistant coach George Wigton filled in as interim head coach for the rest of the 1962–63 season. Connecticut finished the season with an overall record of 18–7, a record of 9–1 and a first-place finish in the Yankee Conference, and an appearance in the 1963 NCAA Tournament.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Smith, Laura (August 31, 2018). "Hugh S. Greer Field House". uconn.edu. UConn Library. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ a b Rhoden, William C. (1986-01-17). "UConn Sees Some Gains". New York Times.
Under Hugh Greer, who coached from 1947 until he died during the 1963 season, the Huskies went 286–112, a .718 winning percentage...
- ^ "UCAA - Distinguished Alumni Award". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2008-03-30.