 Borcher in the 1952Oregana | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1919-07-12)July 12, 1919 International Falls, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Died | April 6, 2003(2003-04-06) (aged 83) Coos Bay, Oregon, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1937–1939 | Sacramento CC |
| 1939–1941 | Oregon |
| Position(s) | Forward,center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1945–1951 | Marshfield HS |
| 1951–1956 | Oregon |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 69–68 (college) |
William J. Borcher (July 12, 1919 – April 6, 2003)[1] was an Americanbasketball coach, the head coach at theUniversity of Oregon from 1951 to 1956.[2]
Born inInternational Falls, Minnesota, he attendedNorth Bend High School inNorth Bend, Oregon, where he played both football and basketball. After graduation in 1937, he played basketball forSacramento Junior College inCalifornia, then transferred up toEugene and played for two seasons at Oregon under head coachHoward Hobson, At 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) he was aforward andcenter,[3] and also a played a season offootball in 1941 atend. During World War II, Borcher served in theU.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945.[4]
From 1945 to 1951, Borcher was the head basketball coach atMarshfield High School inCoos Bay. His 1947 team won the state championship and that year he founded theOregon Jazz Band. After six seasons at Marshfield, Borcher moved up to the collegiate level in 1951 as the head coach at Oregon. He compiled a 69–68 (.504) record in five seasons, and resigned in March 1956.[2] He was succeeded bySteve Belko, who remained for fifteen seasons.
An accomplished musician, he excelled on thecoronet, and played the drums andbass fiddle as well. After coaching, he continued with the Oregon Jazz Band.[5] He gained his doctorate in education from Oregon in 1964 and then worked in administration atAmerican River JC in Sacramento.[5] In 1972, Borcher founded theSacramento Jazz Jubilee, which is the largest jazz festival in the world.[6] He was inducted into the North Bend High School hall of fame in 2001, and posthumously into Marshfield's in 2003.[4]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon Webfoots(Pacific Coast Conference)(1951–1956) | |||||||||
| 1951–52 | Oregon | 14–16 | 8–8 | 3rd(North) | |||||
| 1952–53 | Oregon | 14–14 | 8–8 | T–2nd(North) | |||||
| 1953–54 | Oregon | 17–10 | 9–7 | T–2nd(North) | |||||
| 1954–55 | Oregon | 13–13 | 8–8 | 2nd(North) | |||||
| 1955–56 | Oregon | 11–15 | 5–11 | T–6th | |||||
| Oregon: | 69–68 | 38–42 | |||||||
| Total: | 69–68 | ||||||||