Norm Ellenberger: Difference between revisions
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'''Norman Dale Ellenberger''' (August 2, 1932 – November 15, 2015) was an [[American football]], [[basketball]], and [[baseball]] player and coach. He was head coach of the [[University of New Mexico]] [[New Mexico Lobos men's basketball|Lobo basketball]] team from 1972 to 1979, winning [[Western Athletic Conference]] championships in 1974 and 1978 and compiling an overall record of 134–62 (.684). His former players included future [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) defensive stand-out [[Michael Cooper]], who helped lead the 1977–78 team that was ranked as high as No. |
'''Norman Dale Ellenberger''' (August 2, 1932 – November 15, 2015) was an [[American football]], [[basketball]], and [[baseball]] player and coach. He was head coach of the [[University of New Mexico]] [[New Mexico Lobos men's basketball|Lobo basketball]] team from 1972 to 1979, winning [[Western Athletic Conference]] championships in 1974 and 1978 and compiling an overall record of 134–62 (.684). His former players included future [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) defensive stand-out [[Michael Cooper]], who helped lead the 1977–78 team that was ranked as high as No. 5 nationally. Ellenberger was dismissed as Lobo head coach due to a recruiting scandal known as "[[Lobogate]]". |
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Ellenberger later became lead assistant coach under [[Don Haskins]] at the [[University of Texas at El Paso]] (UTEP) from 1986 to 1990 and under [[Bobby Knight]] at [[Indiana University]] from 1990 to 2000. He served as an assistant for the [[Chicago Bulls]] of the NBA from 2000 to 2003 and then coached boy's and girl's high school basketball in [[Wisconsin]] and the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan]]. He was an assistant for the [[New York Liberty]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) during the 2012-13 season before returning to high school coaching in Michigan. |
Ellenberger later became lead assistant coach under [[Don Haskins]] at the [[University of Texas at El Paso]] (UTEP) from 1986 to 1990 and under [[Bobby Knight]] at [[Indiana University]] from 1990 to 2000. He served as an assistant for the [[Chicago Bulls]] of the NBA from 2000 to 2003 and then coached boy's and girl's high school basketball in [[Wisconsin]] and the [[Upper Peninsula of Michigan]]. He was an assistant for the [[New York Liberty]] of the [[Women's National Basketball Association]] (WNBA) during the 2012-13 season before returning to high school coaching in Michigan. |
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==New Mexico== |
==New Mexico== |
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On April 13, 1967, Ellenberger was hired as lead assistant by head coach [[Bob King (basketball)|Bob King]] at the [[University of New Mexico]]. Under King, the [[New Mexico Lobos men's basketball|Lobos]] had run a highly methodical offense, controlling game tempo by emphasizing defense.<ref name=Stevens>Richard Stevens, [http://www.golobos.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=26000&ATCLID=209071278&SPID=87115&SPSID=616934 ''Ellenberger, Colson Find Good Times, Bad Times, With Lobos''], New Mexico Official Athletics Site, June 13, 2013.</ref> King gave Ellenberger leeway to open up the offense with a more balanced attack.<ref name=Smith062313>Mark Smith, [http://www.abqjournal.com/239865/sports/college/lobos-went-stormin-with-norman.html ''Lobos went Stormin’ with Norman''], Albuquerque Journal, June 23, 2013.</ref> Despite losing key players to graduation, the 1967–68 Lobos won the [[Western Athletic Conference]] (WAC) championship and made the first [[1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA Tournament]] appearance in school history.<ref name= |
On April 13, 1967, Ellenberger was hired as lead assistant by head coach [[Bob King (basketball)|Bob King]] at the [[University of New Mexico]]. Under King, the [[New Mexico Lobos men's basketball|Lobos]] had run a highly methodical offense, controlling game tempo by emphasizing defense.<ref name=Stevens>Richard Stevens, [http://www.golobos.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=26000&ATCLID=209071278&SPID=87115&SPSID=616934 ''Ellenberger, Colson Find Good Times, Bad Times, With Lobos''], New Mexico Official Athletics Site, June 13, 2013.</ref> King gave Ellenberger leeway to open up the offense with a more balanced attack.<ref name=Smith062313>Mark Smith, [http://www.abqjournal.com/239865/sports/college/lobos-went-stormin-with-norman.html ''Lobos went Stormin’ with Norman''], Albuquerque Journal, June 23, 2013.</ref> Despite losing key players to graduation, the 1967–68 Lobos won the [[Western Athletic Conference]] (WAC) championship and made the first [[1968 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA Tournament]] appearance in school history.<ref name=MG114>New Mexico Lobo Basketball 2013-14 Media Guide, [https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/2560547.pdf p.114].</ref> In March 1972, King was named assistant athletic director, and Ellenberger was promoted to head coach. King left the following year to become athletic director and later head coach at [[Indiana State University]].<ref>Media Guide 2013-14, [https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/2560547.pdf p.96].</ref> |
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Under Ellenberger, the Lobos won WAC championships in 1974 and 1978 and compiled an overall record of 134–62 (.684).<ref>Media Guide |
Under Ellenberger, the Lobos won WAC championships in 1974 and 1978 and compiled an overall record of 134–62 (.684).<ref>Media Guide 2013-14, [https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/2560547.pdf p.130].</ref> The team's success, along with his energy and enthusiasm, made Ellenberger highly popular among Lobo fans. He became a local celebrity in Albuquerque, a restaurateur and man-about-town, earning the nickname "Stormin' Norman" for his flashy attire, fiery coaching style, and flamboyant personality.<ref name=Stevens/><ref name=Smith062313/><ref name=Benson>Lee Benson, [http://www.deseretnews.com/article/37746/THIS-IS-JUST-NORM-AL-FOR-THE-MINERS.html?pg=all ''This is Just Norm-al for the Miners''], Deseret News, March 11, 1989.</ref> The Lobos were frequently ranked among the top 25 in the nation under Ellenberger, and attendance for Lobo games at [[The Pit (arena)|The Pit]] was regularly among the top four in college basketball.<ref name=Smith062313/><ref>Media Guide 2013-14, [https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/2560547.pdf pp.4,84].</ref> The 1973–74 team won the WAC championship and became the first Lobo squad to win a [[1974 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA tournament]] game.<ref name=MG114/> The 1977–78 team was his best at New Mexico, led by [[Michael Cooper]], who went on to become one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history. The Lobos were ranked for most of the season, peaking at No. 5, winning the WAC championship, and reaching the [[1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|NCAA tournament]]. Ellenberger was voted runner-up for the US Basketball Writers Coach of the Year award.<ref name=Johnson/><ref>Media Guide 2013-14, [https://admin.xosn.com/pdf9/2560547.pdf p.86].</ref> |
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The turning point in Ellenberger's career came with the "[[Lobogate]]" recruiting scandal, involving forged academic transcripts, payments made for bogus Junior College credits, and other devices to attain eligibility for players who lacked academic credentials.<ref>William C. Dowling, Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University (2007), [http://books.google.com/books?id=pmNHWr6dTpQC&lpg=PA20&ots=plrJTRYB3q&dq=Confessions%20of%20a%20Spoilsport%20ellenberger&pg=PA13#v=onepage&q=Confessions%20of%20a%20Spoilsport%20ellenberger&f=false pp.13,19-26].</ref> In an investigation into illegal gambling, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) had placed a wiretap on the phone of a major Lobo booster. While Ellenberger was visiting this booster, in November 1979, he took a call on the tapped phone from an assistant coach. They discussed an arrangement to transfer bogus credits from a California Junior College to the office of the UNM registrar. Based on this conversation, the FBI launched an investigation into the recruiting activities of Lobo coaches. Ellenberger was fired on December 17, 1979. The investigation led to a federal indictment of Ellenberger on seven counts of fraud and forgery of academic transcripts, but he was acquitted of those charges at trial.<ref>Dowling (2007), p.26.</ref> In July 1981, however, he was convicted by a state District Court on 21 of 22 counts of fraud and submitting false public vouchers. The judge deferred sentence, placing Ellenberger on unsupervised probation for a year, and all counts were formally dismissed in 1983.<ref name=Smith062313/><ref name=Anderson>Dave Anderson, [http://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/03/sports/sports-of-the-times-in-the-pit-lobogate-lives.html ''Sports of the Times; in The Pit, Lobogate Lives''], N.Y. Times, Apr. 3, 1983.</ref> The NCAA investigation into the scandal found 34 violations of recruiting rules, and the Lobo program was placed on probation and banned from post-season appearances for three years.<ref>Mark Smith, [http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/594807metro09-15-07.htm ''Lobogate Destroyed Basketball Program in '79''], Sept. 15, 2007.</ref> |
The turning point in Ellenberger's career came with the "[[Lobogate]]" recruiting scandal, involving forged academic transcripts, payments made for bogus Junior College credits, and other devices to attain eligibility for players who lacked academic credentials.<ref>William C. Dowling, Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University (2007), [http://books.google.com/books?id=pmNHWr6dTpQC&lpg=PA20&ots=plrJTRYB3q&dq=Confessions%20of%20a%20Spoilsport%20ellenberger&pg=PA13#v=onepage&q=Confessions%20of%20a%20Spoilsport%20ellenberger&f=false pp.13,19-26].</ref> In an investigation into illegal gambling, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] (FBI) had placed a wiretap on the phone of a major Lobo booster. While Ellenberger was visiting this booster, in November 1979, he took a call on the tapped phone from an assistant coach. They discussed an arrangement to transfer bogus credits from a California Junior College to the office of the UNM registrar. Based on this conversation, the FBI launched an investigation into the recruiting activities of Lobo coaches. Ellenberger was fired on December 17, 1979. The investigation led to a federal indictment of Ellenberger on seven counts of fraud and forgery of academic transcripts, but he was acquitted of those charges at trial.<ref>Dowling (2007), p.26.</ref> In July 1981, however, he was convicted by a state District Court on 21 of 22 counts of fraud and submitting false public vouchers. The judge deferred sentence, placing Ellenberger on unsupervised probation for a year, and all counts were formally dismissed in 1983.<ref name=Smith062313/><ref name=Anderson>Dave Anderson, [http://www.nytimes.com/1983/04/03/sports/sports-of-the-times-in-the-pit-lobogate-lives.html ''Sports of the Times; in The Pit, Lobogate Lives''], N.Y. Times, Apr. 3, 1983.</ref> The NCAA investigation into the scandal found 34 violations of recruiting rules, and the Lobo program was placed on probation and banned from post-season appearances for three years.<ref>Mark Smith, [http://www.abqjournal.com/news/metro/594807metro09-15-07.htm ''Lobogate Destroyed Basketball Program in '79''], Sept. 15, 2007.</ref> |
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== Death == |
== Death == |
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Ellenberger died in his sleep at his cabin in [[Watersmeet, Michigan]] on November 15, 2015, at the age of 83.<ref name=Smith111515/><ref>Norman D. Ellenberger, [http://www.nimsgernfuneral.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=672940#/obituaryInfo Obituary], Nimsgern Funeral Home (Woodruff, WI)</ref> |
Ellenberger died in his sleep at his cabin in [[Watersmeet, Michigan]] on November 15, 2015, at the age of 83.<ref name=Smith111515/><ref>Norman D. Ellenberger, [http://www.nimsgernfuneral.com/obituaries/obituary-listings?obId=672940#/obituaryInfo Obituary], Nimsgern Funeral Home (Woodruff, WI).</ref> |
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==Head coaching record== |
==Head coaching record== |
Revision as of 01:01, 17 November 2015
Biographical details | |
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Born | Fort Wayne, Indiana | August 2, 1932
Died | November 15, 2015 Watersmeet, Michigan | (aged 83)
Playing career | |
Football | |
1951–1953 | Butler |
Basketball | |
1952–1954 | Butler |
Baseball | |
1951–1954 | Butler |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Football | |
1965 | Monmouth (IL) |
Basketball | |
1957–1964 | New Haven HS |
1964–1967 | Monmouth (IL) |
1967–1972 | New Mexico (assistant) |
1972–1979 | New Mexico |
1986–1990 | UTEP (assistant) |
1990–2000 | Indiana (assistant) |
2000–2003 | Chicago Bulls (assistant) |
2012 | New York Liberty (assistant) |
Baseball | |
1965–1966 | Monmouth (IL) |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 2–6 (college football) 164–98 (college basketball) 21–14 (college baseball) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Basketball 2 WAC (1974, 1978) | |
Norman Dale Ellenberger (August 2, 1932 – November 15, 2015) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. He was head coach of the University of New Mexico Lobo basketball team from 1972 to 1979, winning Western Athletic Conference championships in 1974 and 1978 and compiling an overall record of 134–62 (.684). His former players included future National Basketball Association (NBA) defensive stand-out Michael Cooper, who helped lead the 1977–78 team that was ranked as high as No. 5 nationally. Ellenberger was dismissed as Lobo head coach due to a recruiting scandal known as "Lobogate".
Ellenberger later became lead assistant coach under Don Haskins at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) from 1986 to 1990 and under Bobby Knight at Indiana University from 1990 to 2000. He served as an assistant for the Chicago Bulls of the NBA from 2000 to 2003 and then coached boy's and girl's high school basketball in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He was an assistant for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) during the 2012-13 season before returning to high school coaching in Michigan.
Early career
Ellenberger graduated in 1955 from Butler University, where he played for basketball coaching legend Tony Hinkle. Ellenberger was also captain and all-conference player on the football team, and he pitched a no-hitter on the baseball team. In 2012, he was inducted into the Butler Athletic Hall of Fame.[1] After a brief stint in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, he taught science and coached basketball and other sports from 1957 to 1964 at New Haven High, near the Indiana farm where he grew up.[2][3]
In 1964 Ellenberger began coaching at Monmouth College in western Illinois, where he led the football, basketball, and baseball teams at one point. His basketball teams compiled a record of 30–36, including a 14–8 campaign in 1965–66.[4]
New Mexico
On April 13, 1967, Ellenberger was hired as lead assistant by head coach Bob King at the University of New Mexico. Under King, the Lobos had run a highly methodical offense, controlling game tempo by emphasizing defense.[5] King gave Ellenberger leeway to open up the offense with a more balanced attack.[6] Despite losing key players to graduation, the 1967–68 Lobos won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) championship and made the first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.[7] In March 1972, King was named assistant athletic director, and Ellenberger was promoted to head coach. King left the following year to become athletic director and later head coach at Indiana State University.[8]
Under Ellenberger, the Lobos won WAC championships in 1974 and 1978 and compiled an overall record of 134–62 (.684).[9] The team's success, along with his energy and enthusiasm, made Ellenberger highly popular among Lobo fans. He became a local celebrity in Albuquerque, a restaurateur and man-about-town, earning the nickname "Stormin' Norman" for his flashy attire, fiery coaching style, and flamboyant personality.[5][6][10] The Lobos were frequently ranked among the top 25 in the nation under Ellenberger, and attendance for Lobo games at The Pit was regularly among the top four in college basketball.[6][11] The 1973–74 team won the WAC championship and became the first Lobo squad to win a NCAA tournament game.[7] The 1977–78 team was his best at New Mexico, led by Michael Cooper, who went on to become one of the greatest defensive players in NBA history. The Lobos were ranked for most of the season, peaking at No. 5, winning the WAC championship, and reaching the NCAA tournament. Ellenberger was voted runner-up for the US Basketball Writers Coach of the Year award.[3][12]
The turning point in Ellenberger's career came with the "Lobogate" recruiting scandal, involving forged academic transcripts, payments made for bogus Junior College credits, and other devices to attain eligibility for players who lacked academic credentials.[13] In an investigation into illegal gambling, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had placed a wiretap on the phone of a major Lobo booster. While Ellenberger was visiting this booster, in November 1979, he took a call on the tapped phone from an assistant coach. They discussed an arrangement to transfer bogus credits from a California Junior College to the office of the UNM registrar. Based on this conversation, the FBI launched an investigation into the recruiting activities of Lobo coaches. Ellenberger was fired on December 17, 1979. The investigation led to a federal indictment of Ellenberger on seven counts of fraud and forgery of academic transcripts, but he was acquitted of those charges at trial.[14] In July 1981, however, he was convicted by a state District Court on 21 of 22 counts of fraud and submitting false public vouchers. The judge deferred sentence, placing Ellenberger on unsupervised probation for a year, and all counts were formally dismissed in 1983.[6][15] The NCAA investigation into the scandal found 34 violations of recruiting rules, and the Lobo program was placed on probation and banned from post-season appearances for three years.[16]
Later career
Despite the scandal, Ellenberger remained popular with many Lobo fans. He continued to live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he owned a restaurant, appeared in TV commercials, coached the city's Continental Basketball Association team and a women's professional team, and continued to attend Lobo games. Some fans felt he had been unfairly dismissed and even wanted him to be rehired as coach of the Lobos.[15][17] His ability as a basketball coach had never been in question, and in 1986, former rival and longtime friend Don Haskins hired Ellenberger as his lead assistant at University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), where he coached for four years, even serving as interim head coach for one season while Haskins was side-lined due to health problems.[2][10] Another longtime friend, Bobby Knight, hired Ellenberger as his lead assistant at Indiana University, where he coached for ten seasons, from 1990 to 2000.[3][18]
Ellenberger spent the following three seasons as an assistant to Tim Floyd with the Chicago Bulls of the NBA.[3] While in Chicago, Ellenberger became enamored with the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and bought a lakeside cabin near Watersmeet. In 2003 he accepted a position as head coach of the girl's basketball team at Lakeland Union High School in nearby Minocqua, Wisconsin, leaving at the end of the 2004–05 school year. He then coached at the Conserve School in Land O' Lakes, Wisconsin. In 2009, he became assistant coach at Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wisconsin. He won Coach of the Year in three different districts during those years, and in 2011–12 he led the Watersmeet Lady Nimrods to the Porcupine Mountain Conference title.[6] Later in 2012, he became an assistant coach for the New York Liberty of the WNBA.[2][18] He then returned to Watersmeet and coached the Lady Nimrods through the 2014-15 season.[19] He had signed as an assistant coach at another high school nearby just before his death.[20] His love of basketball led him to continue coaching, but he had a similar passion for the outdoors, regularly fishing, canoeing, and chopping wood at his lake shore cabin.[6]
Ellenberger can be seen briefly in the 1994 movie, Blue Chips, squatting in a timeout huddle next to Bobby Knight. He also appears in an episode of the 2007 documentary series, Nimrod Nation, aired on the Sundance Channel, as an assistant coach for the Watersmeet Nimrods, the subject of the series.
Death
Ellenberger died in his sleep at his cabin in Watersmeet, Michigan on November 15, 2015, at the age of 83.[20][21]
Head coaching record
College basketball
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
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Monmouth Fighting Scots (MCAC) (1964–1967) | |||||||||
1964–65 | Monmouth | 7–15 | 5–12 | 9th | |||||
1965–66 | Monmouth | 14–8 | 12–6 | 3rd | |||||
1966–67 | Monmouth | 9–13 | 8–10 | 7th | |||||
Monmouth: | 30–36 | 25–28 | |||||||
New Mexico Lobos (Western Athletic Conference) (1972–1979) | |||||||||
1972–73 | New Mexico | 21–6 | 9–5 | T–2nd | NIT First Round | ||||
1973–74 | New Mexico | 22–7 | 10–4 | 1st | NCAA Second Round | ||||
1974–75 | New Mexico | 13–13 | 4–10 | 7th | |||||
1975–76 | New Mexico | 16–11 | 8–6 | 4th | |||||
1976–77 | New Mexico | 19–11 | 8–6 | T–3rd | |||||
1977–78 | New Mexico | 24–4 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA First Round | ||||
1978–79 | New Mexico | 19–10 | 8–4 | 3rd | NIT First Round | ||||
New Mexico: | 134–62 | 60–36 | |||||||
Total: | 164–98 | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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References
- ^ Norm Ellenberger Bio, Butler Athletic Hall of Fame, Butlersports.com.
- ^ a b c Bobbi Roquemore, Ellenberger enjoys the simple life, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 25, 2004.
- ^ a b c d K.C. Johnson, Why does Ellenberger coach? It's "what I do", Chicago Tribune, May 09, 2001.
- ^ Monmouth College Men's Basketball Record Book, pp.2-3.
- ^ a b Richard Stevens, Ellenberger, Colson Find Good Times, Bad Times, With Lobos, New Mexico Official Athletics Site, June 13, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f Mark Smith, Lobos went Stormin’ with Norman, Albuquerque Journal, June 23, 2013.
- ^ a b New Mexico Lobo Basketball 2013-14 Media Guide, p.114.
- ^ Media Guide 2013-14, p.96.
- ^ Media Guide 2013-14, p.130.
- ^ a b Lee Benson, This is Just Norm-al for the Miners, Deseret News, March 11, 1989.
- ^ Media Guide 2013-14, pp.4,84.
- ^ Media Guide 2013-14, p.86.
- ^ William C. Dowling, Confessions of a Spoilsport: My Life and Hard Times Fighting Sports Corruption at an Old Eastern University (2007), pp.13,19-26.
- ^ Dowling (2007), p.26.
- ^ a b Dave Anderson, Sports of the Times; in The Pit, Lobogate Lives, N.Y. Times, Apr. 3, 1983.
- ^ Mark Smith, Lobogate Destroyed Basketball Program in '79, Sept. 15, 2007.
- ^ Curt Holbreich, Lobos Going From Pit Toward the Penthouse, L.A. Times, Jan. 14, 1988.
- ^ a b Mark Smith, Give Him Liberty, Albuquerque Journal, Apr. 1, 2012.
- ^ See Jason Juno, Nimrods' season ended by Forest Park, The Daily Globe (Ironwood, MI), March 5, 2015.
- ^ a b Mark Smith, Former Lobo basketball coach Norm Ellenberger dies, Albuquerque Journal, November 15, 2015.
- ^ Norman D. Ellenberger, Obituary, Nimsgern Funeral Home (Woodruff, WI).
External links
- 1930s births
- 2015 deaths
- American basketball coaches
- Baseball players from Indiana
- Basketball players from Indiana
- Butler Bulldogs baseball players
- Butler Bulldogs football players
- Butler Bulldogs men's basketball players
- Chicago Bulls assistant coaches
- Continental Basketball Association coaches
- High school basketball coaches in the United States
- Monmouth Fighting Scots baseball coaches
- Monmouth Fighting Scots football coaches
- New Mexico Lobos men's basketball coaches
- New York Liberty coaches
- Players of American football from Indiana
- Sportspeople from Fort Wayne, Indiana
- UTEP Miners basketball coaches