| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1943-03-09)March 9, 1943 (age 82) Zionsville, Indiana, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Purdue University |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1965–1966 | Marian (assistant) |
| 1970–1974 | Tennessee Tech (assistant) |
| 1974–1975 | Armstrong State (assistant) |
| 1975–1978 | Indiana State (assistant) |
| 1978–1982 | Indiana State |
| 1983–1984 | Long Beach State (assistant) |
| 1986–1991 | Georgia College |
| 1991–1997 | Mercer |
| 1998–1999 | Murray State (assistant) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 239–208 |
| Tournaments | 4–1 (NCAA Division I) 0–3 (NAIA) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA Division I Regional – Final Four (1979) MVC regular season (1979) MVC tournament (1979) | |
| Awards | |
| MVC Coach of the Year (1979) AP Coach of the Year (1979) UPI Coach of the Year (1979) Sporting News Coach of the Year (1979) Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame (2019) | |
William Oscar Hodges (born March 9, 1943) is an Americanbasketball coach. He was the head basketball coach atIndiana State University from 1978 to 1982, atGeorgia College and State University from 1986 to 1991 and atMercer University from 1991 to 1997.
As an assistant basketball coach atIndiana State University, he recruitedLarry Bird after Bird had dropped out ofIndiana University. Before the start of the1978–79 season, Hodges was hired as Head Coach at Indiana State University after head coachBob King suffered a brain aneurysm. Hodges proceeded to lead Indiana State withLarry Bird to an undefeated regular season and a second-place finish in the1979 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, losing toMichigan State University andMagic Johnson in the NCAA Final. During that year, after a 33–1 record, Hodges won several coach of the year awards, including theUPI's andAP's. The Sycamores were selected as the United Press International Collegiate Champions. His later Indiana State teams would never reach the same heights, leading to his resignation from Indiana State after the 1982 season.[1][2][3][4]
Hodges is currently #7 in coaching wins at Indiana State with a record of 67–48 (.583) and #5 in wins at Mercer with a record of 62–107 (.367). His record at Georgia College was 110–53 (.675). His overall collegiate head coaching record is 239–208 (.535). Hodges is a graduate of Purdue University.[5]
Moving to live near his daughter, Hodges returned to high school teaching and coaching to keep busy and coach his granddaughter. He coached the boys basketball teamsRoanoke Catholic High School andNorth Cross School inRoanoke, Virginia from 2011 to 2013, where he led North Cross to the VISAA state tournament where they upset Carlisle School in the semifinals and went on to play for the state title, but came up just short. He then coached the girls team atThe Villages Charter High School inThe Villages, Florida as of the 2016–17 season.[6][7][8]
Hodges also coached golf atArmstrong Atlantic State University before moving to Indiana State. He is a Vietnam-era veteran of theUnited States Air Force.[9]
Inducted in 1999, Hodges is a member of the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame as part of the 1978–79 men's basketball team.[10]
In 2019, Hodges was inducted into the Indiana State University Athletic Hall of Fame individually.[11]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana State Sycamores(Missouri Valley Conference)(1979–1982) | |||||||||
| 1978–79 | Indiana State | 33–1 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 1979–80 | Indiana State | 16–11 | 8–8 | T–5th | |||||
| 1980–81 | Indiana State | 9–18 | 4–12 | 8th | |||||
| 1981–82 | Indiana State | 9–18 | 2–14 | T–9th | |||||
| Indiana State: | 67–48 | 30–34 | |||||||
| Georgia College Bobcats(Peach Belt Conference)(1986–1991) | |||||||||
| 1986–87 | Georgia College | 17–14 | |||||||
| 1987–88 | Georgia College | 25–9 | NAIA First Round | ||||||
| 1988–89 | Georgia College | 25–10 | NAIA First Round | ||||||
| 1989–90 | Georgia College | 24–8 | NAIA First Round | ||||||
| 1990–91 | Georgia College | 19–12 | 6–6 | T–3rd | |||||
| Georgia College: | 110–53 | ||||||||
| Mercer Bears(Trans America Athletic Conference)(1991–1997) | |||||||||
| 1991–92 | Mercer | 11–18 | 6–8 | T–5th | |||||
| 1992–93 | Mercer | 13–14 | 7–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1993–94 | Mercer | 5–24 | 3–14 | 9th | |||||
| 1994–95 | Mercer | 15–14 | 8–8 | 4th | |||||
| 1995–96 | Mercer | 15–14 | 7–9 | 4th(West) | |||||
| 1996–97 | Mercer | 3–23 | 1–15 | 6th(West) | |||||
| Mercer: | 62–107 | 32–59 | |||||||
| Total: | 239–208 | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)