 Gardner from the 1949Royal Purple | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1910-03-29)March 29, 1910 Texico, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Died | April 9, 2000(2000-04-09) (aged 90) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1928–1932 | USC |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1939–1942 | Kansas State |
| 1946–1953 | Kansas State |
| 1953–1971 | Utah |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 486–235 (.674) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 4NCAA Regional—Final Four (1948,1951,1961,1966) 3Big Six/Seven (1948, 1950, 1951) 4Skyline (1955, 1956, 1959, 1962) WAC (1966) | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1984 | |
| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
James H. Gardner (March 29, 1910 – April 9, 2000) was an Americancollege basketball coach, known for his tenures as the head coach atKansas State University and theUniversity of Utah. He is a member of theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.[1][2]
Born inTexico, New Mexico, Gardner was raised insouthernCalifornia, and was a four-sport athlete inhigh school atRedlands. A graduate of theUniversity of Southern California inLos Angeles, he was the captain of theTrojan basketball team and led thePacific Coast Conference (PCC) in scoring.[1] Gardner coached atKansas State from 1939 to 1942 and 1946 to 1953, compiling a 147–81 record with the Wildcats, and thereafter coaching atUtah from 1953 to 1971, compiling a 339–154 record.[3][4] His career college record was 486–235 (.674).
In his second stint at Kansas State, followingWorld War II, Gardner's teams won three conference crowns and captured twoBig Eight Holiday Tournament championships. His 1950–51 team finished 25–4 and lost in the finals of theNCAA tournament to theUniversity of Kentucky. That team was arguably the best in K-State history, and one of two that reached theFinal Four during his tenure (the other was in1948). He had sixAll-Americans at Kansas State, includingErnie Barrett.
Gardner leftManhattan, Kansas, in 1953 to take over the head coaching reins at the University of Utah inSalt Lake City, where he remained for 18 years.[3] He led the Utes to six appearances in theNCAA tournament and two Final Four appearances (1961 &1966). To date, Gardner remains one of only three coaches to twice lead two different programs to theFinal Four, along withRoy Williams andRick Pitino, and won eight conference titles. Between 1959 and 1962, his teams compiled a 72–14 (.837) record; Gardner was often referred to as "The Fox" and known for hisfast-break style, putting the "run" into the "Runnin' Utes."[2] He had five All-Americans at Utah, includingBilly "The Hill" McGill.[1]
Gardner is a member of theNaismith Basketball Hall of Fame as well as ten other Halls of Fame. He was inducted into theKansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and is also a member of the Southern Utah Hall of Fame, Utah All-Sports Hall of Fame, State of Utah Basketball Hall of Fame, Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, Kansas State University Hall of Fame, Crimson Club (University of Utah),Modesto Junior College Hall of Fame,Redlands High School Hall of Fame, and College Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also the recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Golden Anniversary Award.
Gardner worked as a consultant for theUtah Jazz of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) from1979 (when the team moved fromNew Orleans) until1995. He is credited with discovering point guardJohn Stockton fromGonzaga University while working for the Jazz.[5]
Gardner died at age 90 in 2000 in Salt Lake City.[1]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas State Wildcats(Big Six Conference)(1939–1942) | |||||||||
| 1939–40 | Kansas State | 6–12 | 2–8 | T–4th | |||||
| 1940–41 | Kansas State | 6–12 | 3–7 | 5th | |||||
| 1941–42 | Kansas State | 8–10 | 3–7 | 5th | |||||
| Kansas State Wildcats(Big Six / Big Seven Conference)(1946–1953) | |||||||||
| 1946–47 | Kansas State | 14–10 | 3–7 | T–5th | |||||
| 1947–48 | Kansas State | 22–6 | 9–3 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 1948–49 | Kansas State | 13–11 | 8–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1949–50 | Kansas State | 17–7 | 8–4 | T–1st | |||||
| 1950–51 | Kansas State | 25–4 | 11–1 | 1st | NCAA Runner-up | ||||
| 1951–52 | Kansas State | 19–5 | 10–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1952–53 | Kansas State | 17–4 | 9–3 | 2nd | |||||
| Kansas State: | 147–81(.645) | 66–46 (.589) | |||||||
| Utah Utes(Skyline Conference)(1954–1962) | |||||||||
| 1953–54 | Utah | 12–14 | 7–7 | T–4th | |||||
| 1954–55 | Utah | 24–4 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA Regional Third Place | ||||
| 1955–56 | Utah | 22–6 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Elite Eight | ||||
| 1956–57 | Utah | 19–8 | 10–4 | 2nd | |||||
| 1957–58 | Utah | 20–7 | 9–5 | T–2nd | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1958–59 | Utah | 21–7 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA second round | ||||
| 1959–60 | Utah | 26–3 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA second round | ||||
| 1960–61 | Utah | 23–8 | 12–2 | T–1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 1961–62 | Utah | 23–3 | 13–1 | 1st | |||||
| Utah Utes(Western Athletic Conference)(1962–1971) | |||||||||
| 1962–63 | Utah | 12–14 | 5–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1963–64 | Utah | 19–9 | 4–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1964–65 | Utah | 17–9 | 3–7 | 6th | |||||
| 1965–66 | Utah | 23–8 | 7–3 | 1st | NCAA Final Four | ||||
| 1966–67 | Utah | 15–11 | 5–5 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1967–68 | Utah | 17–9 | 5–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1968–69 | Utah | 13–13 | 5–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1969–70 | Utah | 18–10 | 9–5 | 2nd | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 1970–71 | Utah | 15–11 | 9–5 | 2nd | |||||
| Utah: | 339–154 (.688) | 153–70 (.686) | |||||||
| Total: | 486–235 (.674) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||