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 Holland, circa 1974 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1942-04-02)April 2, 1942 Clinton, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Died | February 26, 2023(2023-02-26) (aged 80) Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1961–1964 | Davidson |
| Position(s) | Forward |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1964–1969 | Davidson (assistant) |
| 1969–1974 | Davidson |
| 1974–1990 | Virginia |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1990–1994 | Davidson |
| 1994–2001 | Virginia |
| 2004–2013 | East Carolina |
| 2013–2023 | East Carolina (emeritus AD) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 418–216 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2NCAA Regional – Final Four (1981,1984) NIT (1980) SoCon tournament (1970) 4SoCon regular season (1970–1973) ACC tournament (1976) 3ACC regular season (1981–1983) | |
| Awards | |
| 3×SoCon Coach of the Year (1970–1972) 2×ACC Coach of the Year (1981, 1982) | |
Michael Terrence Holland (April 2, 1942 – February 26, 2023) was an American college athletics administrator andbasketball player and coach. Holland served as the head men's basketball coach atDavidson College from 1969 to 1974 and at theUniversity of Virginia from 1974 to 1990, compiling a careercollege basketball coaching record of 418–216. Following his retirement from coaching, Holland was theathletic director at Davidson from 1990 to 1994, at Virginia from 1994 to 2001, and at East Carolina from 2004 to 2013.
Holland went toDavidson College and graduated with aBachelor of Arts degree ineconomics in 1964. While at Davidson, Holland lettered inbasketball for three years. His coach at Davidson was the legendary coachLefty Driesell. During his senior season in 1963–64, Holland served ascaptain of the first nationally ranked basketball team in Wildcat history and topped the nation in field goal percentage (63.1). After graduating in 1964 he stayed at Davidson to become an assistant coach. Holland's 1966–67 freshmen team went 16–0. Five years later, in 1969, he was promoted tohead coach for the Wildcats. Showing his distinction as a coach, Holland was selected as theSouthern Conference Coach of the Year three times.
On April 1, 1974, Holland became theUniversity of Virginia's head men's basketball coach. While coaching at Virginia, he was responsible for signing the nation's top-ranked high school basketball player, seven-foot-four-inchRalph Sampson, who went on to become a three-time consensus collegiate national player-of-the-year as a Cavalier. As aCavalier, Holland accumulated a winning record of 326–173, becoming the winningest men's basketball coach in Virginia history (surpassed in 2023 byTony Bennett). His tenure at Virginia also included a pair ofFinal Four appearances (1981 and 1984), aNational Invitation Tournament title (1980), Virginia's first of threeACC tournament championships (1976), and twoAtlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year awards.
In 1990, Holland returned toDavidson College to become the athletic director. While at Davidson, his efforts helped to modernize Davidson's athletics strategy. Holland co-chaired the Presidential Working Group on Athletic Policy that developed a new policy for athletics which was implemented in 1992 by the DavidsonBoard of Trustees. Holland oversaw Davidson's move back into theSouthern Conference.
Holland also re-organized the Davidson Athletic Foundation, which resulted in the increase offund-raising from $350,000 to $1,000,000. In addition, under his direction, Davidson hosted and sold-out theNCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship for three consecutive seasons. Davidson also captured the first Barrett-Bonner Award, which recognizes theSouthern Conference institution with the highest percentage of its student-athletes on the conference academic honor roll.
In 1995, Holland returned to theUniversity of Virginia to take on the athletic director position. One of the lasting legacies Holland left in Charlottesville was the facility expansion. With the help of generous alumni, Holland initiatives include: the $86 million expansion ofScott Stadium and creation of theCarl Smith Center; construction of the Aquatics and Fitness Center, home to Virginia's swimming and diving teams and one of the nation's top collegiate recreation facilities; expansion and naming of theSheridan Snyder Tennis Center; theUniversity Hall Turf Field; and The Park, home to the Cavalier softball team.
In 1998–99, Virginia achieved its then highest ever finish in theSears Directors Cup, an all-sports competition amongNCAA Division I universities based on their performance in NCAA championships, taking eighth nationally. In 1999,The Charlotte Observer named Holland one of the 50 most influential figures in ACC basketball history.
In 2001, Holland stepped down from the AD position and was appointed a Special Assistant to the President of the University of Virginia.
On September 8, 2004, East Carolina University officially announced Terry Holland as the new Athletics Director. The job officially began on October 1. He agreed to a five-year contract worth $276,000 the first year. On November 17, 2004,East Carolina announced that football coach John Thompson would not return for the 2005 season. To beef up the football program, Holland hiredSkip Holtz as the new football coach on December 3, 2004. Continuing with the turnaround, on Feb 22, 2005, it was announced thatBill Herrion would not remain as head men's basketball coach after the season. At the time, Herrion was 69–96 in six seasons at ECU. On March 16, 2005, Holland hiredSouth Carolina assistant Ricky Stokes, a former head coach atVirginia Tech, to be the men's basketball coach. Stokes played for Holland atVirginia. Also in 2005, Head Baseball Coach,Randy Mazey, resigned and was later replaced by Louisburg CoachBilly Godwin.
Holland announced on June 23, 2005, a new policy in scheduling football opponents and scheduled future home and homes with in-state rivals North Carolina State and North Carolina, plus the University of Virginia, West Virginia, and Virginia Tech. Holland also scheduled the first ever men's basketball home game with an ACC opponent as Wake Forest visited Greenville in 2007. Holland was also instrumental in raising funding for a new football practice complex and new football meeting rooms, all through a fund raising campaign called the "Circle of Excellence". Holland announced future expansion plans of ECU's Dowdy Ficklen Stadium in the summer of 2005. Tentative plans include expandingseating capacity to 50,000 and constructing a new multi-story football building/press box complex. Holland and his athletic staff ended the Men's soccer team late in 2005. On January 11, 2006,Chancellor Ballard announced that Holland's contract was extended to 2011 and he assumed an additional role, "Executive Assistant to the Chancellor".
On December 12, 2012, Holland announced that he would be retiring and leaving his position as athletic director of East Carolina University, and would be assuming the title of emeritus director of athletics. In addition, the East Carolina University board of trustees announced that it would name the school's 4-venue Olympic Sport Complex after Holland.
Holland has also been a television analyst, working primarily forESPN and the ACC Television Network from 1990 to 1996, handling approximately 20 games per year. Holland was a member of theNCAA Basketball Committee, chairing the panel in 1997. He served on the Senior National Team Committee ofUSA Basketball from 1992 through 1996, and chaired the organization's Collegiate Committee, which he has served on since 1997.
One of Holland's assistants at both Davidson and Virginia wasJim Larrañaga, who became a media darling in 2006 as the head coach atGeorge Mason after leading the Patriots to an improbable berth inthat season's Final Four. Other former players and/or assistants who went on to become Division I or NBA head coaches areMarc Iavaroni,Bill Cofield,Mike Schuler,Rick Carlisle,Barry Parkhill,Richard Schmidt,Anthony Solomon,Seth Greenberg,Jeff Jones,Dave Odom, andRicky Stokes.
Holland was inducted into theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. At the time of his induction, the Hall noted that he "has a name synonymous with excellence. His coaching and administrative achievements are a testament to his character and dedication to sports. His influence on the University of Virginia's athletic program has made him a prominent role model in Virginia sports history. Terry Holland’s induction into theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame is a fitting tribute for a talented athlete who became a successful coach and a dedicated, visionary leader."[1]
Holland's wife was named Ann. They had two daughters, Ann-Michael and Kate, as well as three grandchildren. Holland wasPresbyterian, and in his spare time he was an avid fisherman and boater.[2]
Holland died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on February 26, 2023, at the age of 80.[3]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson Wildcats(Southern Conference)(1969–1974) | |||||||||
| 1969–70 | Davidson | 22–5 | 10–0 | 1st | NCAA University Division first round | ||||
| 1970–71 | Davidson | 15–11 | 9–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1971–72 | Davidson | 19–9 | 8–2 | 1st | NIT first round | ||||
| 1972–73 | Davidson | 18–9 | 9–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1973–74 | Davidson | 18–9 | 7–3 | 3rd | |||||
| Davidson: | 92–43 | 43–7 | |||||||
| Virginia Cavaliers(Atlantic Coast Conference)(1974–1990) | |||||||||
| 1974–75 | Virginia | 12–13 | 4–8 | 5th | |||||
| 1975–76 | Virginia | 18–12 | 4–8 | 6th | NCAA Division I first round | ||||
| 1976–77 | Virginia | 12–17 | 2–10 | T–6th | |||||
| 1977–78 | Virginia | 20–8 | 6–6 | T–4th | NIT first round | ||||
| 1978–79 | Virginia | 19–10 | 7–5 | 3rd | NIT second round | ||||
| 1979–80 | Virginia | 24–10 | 7–7 | T–5th | NIT champion | ||||
| 1980–81 | Virginia | 29–4 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I Final Four | ||||
| 1981–82 | Virginia | 30–4 | 12–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1982–83 | Virginia | 29–5 | 12–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 1983–84 | Virginia | 21–12 | 6–8 | T–5th | NCAA Division I Final Four | ||||
| 1984–85 | Virginia | 17–16 | 3–11 | 8th | NIT quarterfinal | ||||
| 1985–86 | Virginia | 19–11 | 7–7 | T–4th | NCAA Division I first round | ||||
| 1986–87 | Virginia | 21–10 | 8–6 | 4th | NCAA Division I first round | ||||
| 1987–88 | Virginia | 13–18 | 5–9 | 6th | |||||
| 1988–89 | Virginia | 22–11 | 9–5 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 1989–90 | Virginia | 20–12 | 6–8 | T–5th | NCAA Division I second round | ||||
| Virginia: | 326–173 | 111–103 | |||||||
| Total: | 418–216 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||