| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1932-05-19)May 19, 1932 Davenport, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | February 2, 2022(2022-02-02) (aged 89) Lake Conroe, Texas, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Wilson (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) |
| College | Coe (1950–1954) |
| Coaching career | 1956–1998 |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1956–1958 | Creighton (assistant) |
| 1958–1962 | Coe |
| 1962–1967 | North Dakota |
| 1967–1968 | Bowling Green |
| 1968–1970 | Minnesota |
| 1970–1979 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 1979–1983 | Boston Celtics |
| 1983–1988 | Houston Rockets |
| 1989–1992 | New Jersey Nets |
| 1994–1998 | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Career highlights | |
| As head coach: | |
| Career coaching record | |
| NBA | 944–1106 (.460) |
Record atBasketball Reference  | |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
William Charles Fitch (May 19, 1932 – February 2, 2022) was an American professionalbasketball coach in theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He developed multiple teams into playoff contenders and won anNBA championship with theBoston Celtics in 1981. Before entering the professional ranks, he coachedcollege basketball at theUniversity of Minnesota,Bowling Green State University, theUniversity of North Dakota, and his alma mater,Coe College. Fitch's teams twice qualified for the NCAA tournament. He won theChuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013,[1] and was elected to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.[2] Christopher Gerhman portrayed him inWinning Time.[3]
William Charles Fitch was born on May 19, 1932, inDavenport, Iowa. He attended Wilson inCedar Rapids, Iowa, where he excelled inbasketball.
Fitch attended Coe College from 1950 to 1954.
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Fitch was an assistant coach at Creighton from 1956 to 1958.
Fitch coached Coe from 1958 to 1962.
Fitch led North Dakota to threeNCAA Division II men's basketball tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in1966.
At Fitch's only season with Bowling Green, theFalcons reached the1968 NCAA University Division basketball tournament after winning theMid-American Conference title with an 18–7 record and 10–2 in conference play.
In Fitch's two seasons at Minnesota, Fitch coached the Golden Gophers to 12–12 and 13–11.[4]
Fitch was the first head coach hired by the expansionCleveland Cavaliers on March 19, 1970, for theirinaugural 1970–71 season. In that season, the Cavaliers went 15–67.[2] The Cavaliers did not have a season as bad as that one until the1981–82 season, which also garnered 15 wins. The team gradually rose in wins for the next two years, winning 32 in his third season, although they slipped slightly the following year. In his first four years, they finished last each time in the Central Division.[5]
His fifth season (1974–75) resulted in marked improvement as the Cavs won 40 games while finishing third, their first season without a last-place finish. By this point, the team had a clear leader in its #1 draft pick from 1971,Austin Carr. He had become the leading scorer for the team, but a serious knee injury curtailed Cleveland's hopes for a playoff berth.[6]
The following season of1975–76 was the pinnacle of his career with Cleveland. The team, now fabled as "The Miracle of Richfield", was led by team captain Carr, scoring small forwardCampy Russell, shooting guardBobby "Bingo" Smith, and a supporting cast of largely unknown players such as starting centerJim Chones, and an agingNate Thurmond. The team won 49 games (a team record for 13 seasons) and the Central Division title.[6] They defeated theWashington Bullets in seven games to advance to the Conference Finals, where they were defeated in six games by theBoston Celtics, with Chones being sidelined by a broken foot in practice two days before the conference finals.[7] The Cavaliers did not win another playoff series until1992. Fitch was awarded theNBA Coach of the Year Award at the end of the season.[8]
Fitch led the team to two more playoff berths, although they did not win either series.[6] After a 30–52 record for the1978–79 season, he resigned on May 21, 1979.[2]
On May 23, 1979, Fitch was hired by theBoston Celtics, taking over forDave Cowens, who had coached them to a 29–53 record as a player-coach the previous season.[9] His first season in1979–80 was also the first forLarry Bird. A formerdrill instructor in theU. S. Marine Corps,[10] the coach was lauded by Bird for his intense practices and discipline.[11] Fitch helped lead the Celtics to 61 wins along with an Atlantic Division title. In the playoffs that year, the Celtics were defeated in the Conference Finals to thePhiladelphia 76ers in five games. Fitch won his second Coach of the Year Award after the season.[12]
In his secondseason, the Celtics draftedKevin McHale and acquiredRobert Parish, both through a trade with theGolden State Warriors. Fitch's team won 62 games along with a second Atlantic title. They went on to beat theHouston Rockets in six games to win the1981 NBA Finals, Boston's first title since 1976.[13]
Fitch led the Celtics to a third consecutive Atlantic Division title in 1981–82 while winning 63 games, although the team lost in the Conference Finals to the 76ers in seven games. The 1982–83 team dropped in wins (from 63 to 56) while finishing second in the Atlantic Division, and were defeated by theMilwaukee Bucks in four games. On May 27, 1983, he resigned from the Celtics.[14] Fitch citedHarry T. Mangurian Jr.'s announcement that he was selling the team due to difficulties withDelaware North (the owners of theBoston Garden) as the last straw, despite Fitch having three years left on his contract.[15]
On June 1, 1983, Fitch was hired by theHouston Rockets, taking over forDel Harris, who had managed the team to 14 wins the previous season.[2] The1983–84 Houston Rockets season also happened to be the first season withRalph Sampson on the team. The team won 29 games that season. Thenext season was the season in which the Rockets draftedHakeem Olajuwon, and the team responded with 48 wins and a playoff berth, although they were beaten in five games by theUtah Jazz.[2] Histhird season was his best season with the team as they won the Midwest Division title along with the Western Conference title after beating theLos Angeles Lakers in five games.[2] They met Fitch's old team, the Celtics. Boston beat the team in six games to win theFinals.[8][2] Fitch's following two seasons led to playoff berths, although they did not advance past the Conference Semi-finals. Fitch was fired on June 6, 1988.[16]
On August 21, 1989, Fitch was hired by theNew Jersey Nets, replacingWillis Reed, who had gone 26–56 the previous season.[17] The team acquiredSam Bowie on draft day in order to try and start a rebuilding process, although the team went 17–65 for the season, the fewest wins for the Nets since joining the NBA.[18] Fitch gradually raised the team up, acquiringDerrick Coleman,Dražen Petrović, andTerry Mills helping the team qualify for a playoff berth in the1991–92 New Jersey Nets season.[18] The team went to the playoffs with a losing record of 40–42, sixth-best in the 14 team Eastern Conference. They lost in the First Round to Fitch's old team, the Cavaliers in four games. On May 12, 1992, he resigned as coach of the team.[18]
On July 28, 1994, Fitch was hired by theLos Angeles Clippers, replacingBob Weiss, who had gone 27–55 the previous year.[19] In four seasons with the team, he could not reverse the tide of a franchise that had gone on a downward spiral since making the playoffs in consecutive seasons in 1992 and 1993. However, he led them to a playoff berth once, doing so in the1996–97 season (the last playoff berth for the team until 2006), although they were swept in the First Round by the Jazz. They made the playoffs despite going 36–46, qualifying by just two games. The following season was a disaster, with the team finishing 17–65, the worst season since finishing with that same record in the 1994–95 season.[20] Two days after the season ended, Fitch was fired on April 20, 1998.[20] Fitch's most losses record in NBA history with 1,106 losses a record stood for five years untilLenny Wilkens broke his mark during the2002–03 season while coaching for the Toronto Raptors. Wilkens' NBA coaching career finished with 1,155 losses after he announced his retirement from coaching on January 22, 2005.[8]
Fitch coached at four universities: theUniversity of Minnesota,Bowling Green State University, theUniversity of North Dakota, and his alma mater,Coe College.[21]
During his 25-year pro coaching career, Fitch was often hired in an attempt to improve failing teams. Although Fitch currently ranks tenth among NBA coaches in all-time number of victories (with 944), he is also ranked second in all-time losses (with 1,106) behindLenny Wilkens.[8] In 1996, Fitch was named one of theTop 10 Coaches in NBA History.[21] In 2016, Fitch was honored with an honorary bench by the Hall of Fame, which surrounds a statue ofJames Naismith along with other granite benches in honor of great coaches, all made possible through a $150,000 donation byRick Carlisle.[22]
Fitch was born inDavenport, Iowa, on May 19, 1932.[22] He attendedCoe College, where he played basketball and baseball and graduated in 1954 with a degree in physical education.[23]
Fitch died inLake Conroe, Texas, on February 2, 2022, at the age of 89.[12][24]
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 1970–71 | 82 | 15 | 67 | .183 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Cleveland | 1971–72 | 82 | 23 | 59 | .280 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Cleveland | 1972–73 | 82 | 32 | 50 | .390 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Cleveland | 1973–74 | 82 | 29 | 53 | .354 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Cleveland | 1974–75 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Cleveland | 1975–76 | 82 | 49 | 33 | .598 | 1st in Central | 13 | 6 | 7 | .462 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Cleveland | 1976–77 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 4th in Central | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost inFirst round |
| Cleveland | 1977–78 | 82 | 43 | 39 | .524 | 3rd in Central | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | Lost inFirst round |
| Cleveland | 1978–79 | 82 | 30 | 52 | .366 | 4th in Central | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Boston | 1979–80 | 82 | 61 | 21 | .744 | 1st in Atlantic | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Boston | 1980–81 | 82 | 62 | 20 | .756 | 1st in Atlantic | 17 | 12 | 5 | .706 | WonNBA Championship |
| Boston | 1981–82 | 82 | 63 | 19 | .768 | 1st in Atlantic | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 | Lost inConf. Finals |
| Boston | 1982–83 | 82 | 56 | 26 | .683 | 2nd in Atlantic | 7 | 2 | 5 | .286 | Lost inConf. Semi-finals |
| Houston | 1983–84 | 82 | 29 | 53 | .354 | 6th in Midwest | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Houston | 1984–85 | 82 | 48 | 34 | .585 | 2nd in Midwest | 5 | 2 | 3 | .400 | Lost inFirst round |
| Houston | 1985–86 | 82 | 51 | 31 | .622 | 1st in Midwest | 20 | 13 | 7 | .650 | Lost inNBA Finals |
| Houston | 1986–87 | 82 | 42 | 40 | .512 | 3rd in Midwest | 10 | 5 | 5 | .500 | Lost inConf. Semi-finals |
| Houston | 1987–88 | 82 | 46 | 36 | .561 | 4th in Midwest | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost inFirst round |
| New Jersey | 1989–90 | 82 | 17 | 65 | .207 | 6th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| New Jersey | 1990–91 | 82 | 26 | 56 | .317 | 5th in Atlantic | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| New Jersey | 1991–92 | 82 | 40 | 42 | .488 | 3rd in Atlantic | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | Lost inFirst round |
| L.A. Clippers | 1994–95 | 82 | 17 | 65 | .207 | 7th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| L.A. Clippers | 1995–96 | 82 | 29 | 53 | .354 | 7th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| L.A. Clippers | 1996–97 | 82 | 36 | 46 | .439 | 5th in Pacific | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | Lost inFirst round |
| L.A. Clippers | 1997–98 | 82 | 17 | 65 | .207 | 7th in Pacific | — | — | — | — | Missed Playoffs |
| Career | 2,050 | 944 | 1,106 | .460 | 109 | 55 | 54 | .505 |
Source:[25]