Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | (1949-08-08)August 8, 1949 Athens, Ohio, U.S. |
Died | May 4, 2018(2018-05-04) (aged 68) Cary, North Carolina, U.S. |
Playing career | |
Basketball | |
1970–1971 | Ohio |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Basketball | |
1971–1973 | Marietta (assistant) |
1973–1976 | Wittenberg (assistant) |
1976–1989 | Wittenberg |
1989–2001 | Ohio |
2001–2002 | NC State (assistant) |
2002–2005 | NC State (associate HC) |
2005–2018 | Western Carolina |
Soccer | |
1973–1975 | Wittenberg |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 702–453 (basketball) 11–20–1 (soccer) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Basketball NCAA Division III tournament (1977) 6OAC tournament (1979, 1981–1983, 1985, 1987) 4OAC regular season (1980, 1981, 1985, 1989) MAC tournament (1994) MAC regular season (1994) 2OAC Southern Division (1977, 1978) 2SoCon North Division (2009, 2011) | |
Awards | |
Basketball NABC Division III Coach of the Year (1977) 2×OAC Coach of the Year (1980, 1989) MAC Coach of the Year (1994) | |
Larry Hunter (August 8, 1949 – May 4, 2018)[1][2] was an American formercollege basketball coach. He served as the head basketball coach atWittenberg University from 1976 to 1989,Ohio University from 1989 to 2001, andWestern Carolina University from 2005 to 2018, compiling a career college basketball coaching record of 702–453.[3] As head coach of theOhio Bobcats men's basketball team from 1989 to 2001, he had a record of 204–148.[4] His Bobcats teams made oneNCAA Division I men's basketball tournament appearancein 1994, anNIT appearancein 1995, and won thePreseason NIT in 1994. Despite his winning record and being second on Ohios' all-time wins list with only two losing seasons, he was fired in 2001.[4] Hunter also played at Ohio University from 1970 to 1971.[5]
Ohio hired its alumnus away fromWittenberg University inSpringfield, Ohio. Hunter was the head coach at Wittenberg for 13 seasons, leading the Tigers to the program's secondNCAA Division III men's basketball tournament championship, in1977, and garneredNABC Division III National Coach of the Year the same year.[6] He was the first coach in NCAA history to win a national championship in his first season at a school. In total, Hunter won six regular seasonOhio Athletic Conference championships and six Ohio Athletic Conference tournament championships during his tenure at Wittenberg. Before moving toWestern Carolina University, he was an assistant coach and an associate head coach underHerb Sendek atNorth Carolina State University.[6] On March 4, 2018, Hunter announced that he was stepping down as coach of Western Carolina.
Less than two months after he stepped down at Western Carolina, he suffered astroke and was sent to a hospital inCary, North Carolina, where he died less than a week later.[7]
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wittenberg Tigers(Ohio Athletic Conference)(1976–1989) | |||||||||
1976–77 | Wittenberg | 23–5 | 10–2 | 1st(Southern) | NCAA Division III champions | ||||
1977–78 | Wittenberg | 16–7 | 9–3 | 1st(Southern) | |||||
1978–79 | Wittenberg | 23–6 | 10–3 | 3rd | NCAA Division III Regional Runner-up | ||||
1979–80 | Wittenberg | 29–3 | 13–0 | 1st | NCAA Division III Third Place | ||||
1980–81 | Wittenberg | 28–3 | 12–1 | T–1st | NCAA Division III Regional Runner-up | ||||
1981–82 | Wittenberg | 20–10 | 10–3 | T–2nd | NCAA Division III Regional Fourth Place | ||||
1982–83 | Wittenberg | 26–6 | 10–3 | T–2nd | NCAA Division III Runner-up | ||||
1983–84 | Wittenberg | 18–9 | 10–3 | T–2nd | |||||
1984–85 | Wittenberg | 27–4 | 14–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division III Quarterfinal | ||||
1985–86 | Wittenberg | 23–5 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division Regional third place | ||||
1986–87 | Wittenberg | 25–8 | 12–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division III Third Place | ||||
1987–88 | Wittenberg | 20–7 | 12–4 | T–2nd | |||||
1988–89 | Wittenberg | 27–3 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Division III Regional Runner-up | ||||
Wittenberg: | 305–76 (.801) | 150–31 (.829) | |||||||
Ohio Bobcats(Mid-American Conference)(1989–2001) | |||||||||
1989–90 | Ohio | 12–16 | 5–11 | 8th | |||||
1990–91 | Ohio | 16–12 | 9–7 | 5th | |||||
1991–92 | Ohio | 18–10 | 10–6 | 4th | |||||
1992–93 | Ohio | 14–13 | 11–7 | 4th | |||||
1993–94 | Ohio | 25–8 | 14–4 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
1994–95 | Ohio | 24–10 | 13–5 | 2nd | NIT Second Round | ||||
1995–96 | Ohio | 16–14 | 11–7 | 4th | |||||
1996–97 | Ohio | 17–10 | 12–6 | 3rd | |||||
1997–98 | Ohio | 5–21 | 3–15 | 6th(East) | |||||
1998–99 | Ohio | 18–10 | 12–6 | 4th(East) | |||||
1999–00 | Ohio | 20–13 | 11–7 | 5th(East) | |||||
2000–01 | Ohio | 19–11 | 12–6 | 3rd(East) | |||||
Ohio: | 204–148 (.580) | 123–87 (.586) | |||||||
Western Carolina Catamounts(Southern Conference)(2005–2018) | |||||||||
2005–06 | Western Carolina | 13–17[8] | 7–7[8] | 3rd(North)[9] | |||||
2006–07 | Western Carolina | 11–20[10] | 7–11[10] | 3rd(North)[11] | |||||
2007–08 | Western Carolina | 10–21[12] | 6–14[12] | 5th(North)[13] | |||||
2008–09 | Western Carolina | 16–15[14] | 11–9[14] | T–1st(North)[15] | |||||
2009–10 | Western Carolina | 22–12[16] | 11–7[16] | 2nd(North)[17] | CIT First Round[16] | ||||
2010–11 | Western Carolina | 18–15[18] | 12–6[18] | T–1st(North)[19] | |||||
2011–12 | Western Carolina | 17–18[20] | 8–10[20] | T–3rd(North)[21] | |||||
2012–13 | Western Carolina | 14–19[22] | 9–9[22] | T–5th[23] | |||||
2013–14 | Western Carolina | 19–15 | 10–6 | 5th | |||||
2014–15 | Western Carolina | 15–17 | 9–9 | 4th | |||||
2015–16 | Western Carolina | 16–18 | 10–8 | T–5th | CBI First Round | ||||
2016–17 | Western Carolina | 9–23 | 4–14 | T–8th | |||||
2017–18 | Western Carolina | 13–19 | 8–10 | 6th | |||||
Western Carolina: | 193–229 (.457) | 112–120 (.483) | |||||||
Total: | 702–453 (.608) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion |
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wittenberg Tigers(Ohio Athletic Conference)(1973–1975) | |||||||||
1973 | Wittenberg | 3–9 | 2–7 | 9th | |||||
1974 | Wittenberg | 3–7 | 3–5 | 8th | |||||
1975 | Wittenberg | 5–4–1 | 1–3–1 | 5th(Southern) | |||||
Wittenberg: | 11–20–1 (.359) | 6–15–1 (.295) | |||||||
Total: | 11–20–1 (.359) |