Les Habegger book

We Still Call Him Coach

Book about the life and legacy of Les Habegger available now

11/18/2008 3:31:50 PM

Story Links


November 18, 2008


SEATTLE -- For over sixty years basketball was his life. In his twenty year career as Head Coach and Athletic Director, Les Habegger took Seattle Pacific to the forefront of NCAA Division II basketball.

"We Stil Call Him Coach," a book about the life and legacy of Les Habegger has been written by Doris H. Pieroth and produced by Cross Training Publishing. Copies of the book are available now.

The pinnacle of Les' career came while Assistant Coach to Lenny Wilkens with the Seattle Supersonics, when they won the NBA Championship in the late 1970's. Les went on and spent many years as the General Manager with the Sonics. He ended his coaching and managing career in the professional ranks in a unified Germany.

We Still call Him Coach begins with Les as the youngest of ten children growing up in a Northern Indiana Amish community. It follows him through World War II as a litter bearer in The Battle Of The Bulge and onto his successful basketball career. Les was inducted into the Seattle Pacific Athletic Hall of Fame with sixty of his former players in attendance. To them he is not only their Coach—he is their guiding force.

Here's what people are saying about Les Habegger:

“It was great to be able to work side by side with Les. He is extremely knowledgeable about the game of basketball. It was a lot of fun to sit down, put our heads together, and map out a strategy for our next game. Les and I had a chemistry which helped us make the most of our years together with the Sonics.”
– LENNY WILKENS, NBA HALL OF FAME, PLAYER AND COACH

“Les touched the lives of thousands over his years of coaching and beyond. He is a born leader, a coach to the core, a mentor, a man of faith, a man with a big heart, who wanted to win on the court, but also understood the bigger and more meaningful lessons of life. His contributions in athletics here at Seattle Pacific University represent a bright chapter for us that laid strong foundations for future success.”
– PHILIP W. EATON, PRESIDENT, SEATTLE PACIFIC UNIVERSITY

Copies of "We Still Call Him Coach" are available for purchase at the Seattle Pacific University bookstore. Any income derived from the sale of the book will be applied to the Habegger Endowment at SPU.
Print Friendly Version