Bill Fitch

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Bill Fitch

Bill Fitch (born May 19, 1934 in Davenport, Iowa) is a former NBA coach who has been successful in making teams playoff contenders throughout his coaching career. Before entering the professional ranks he coached college ball at the University of Minnesota, Bowling Green State University, the University of North Dakota, and his alma mater, Coe College. Fitch's teams twice qualified for the NCAA tournament.

Fitch was a former U.S. Marine Corps drill instructor,^[1] a fact that Larry Bird credited in his book Drive: The Story of My Life as an important reason for Bird's own strong work ethic.

During his 25-year pro coaching career Fitch repeatedly was hired in an attempt to improve failing teams. As of 2004 Fitch ranked fifth among all NBA coaches in all-time number of victories (with 944) but also ranked second in all-time losses (with 1,106) behind Lenny Wilkens. He was awarded as the NBA's Coach of the Year Award twice and he guided Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish and the rest of the Boston Celtics to the 1981 NBA championship, defeating the Houston Rockets 4 games to 2 in the finals. From Boston, Fitch went on to coach the Rockets where he led a team featuring Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson to the 1986 NBA Finals where they were defeated once again by Bird's Celtics, 4 games to 2, for the NBA championship.

Fitch also coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Clippers. During his first year with the Cavaliers, the team lost its first 15 games. In the midst of that streak a security guard once refused to let Fitch into the arena because he did not have any identification. He told the guard, "Who else would admit to coaching that team?" and was then promptly allowed into the arena.

^ Charley Rosen. True tales from the camp fires. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-22.

BasketballReference.com: Bill Fitch

Preceded by Bob Shulz	Coe College Men's Basketball Head Coach 1958–1961	Succeeded by Don King
Preceded by Louis D. Bogan	University of North Dakota Men's Basketball Head Coach 1962–1966	Succeeded by Jimmy Rodgers
Preceded by Warren Scholler	Bowling Green State University Men's Basketball Head Coach 1967	Succeeded by Bob Contbear
Preceded by John Kundla	University of Minnesota Head Basketball Coaches 1968–1970	Succeeded by George Hanson
Preceded by initial coach	Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach 1970–1979	Succeeded by Stan Albeck
Preceded by Dave Cowens	Boston Celtics Head Coach 1979–1983	Succeeded by K. C. Jones
Preceded by Del Harris	Houston Rockets Head Coach 1983–1988	Succeeded by Don Chaney
Preceded by Willis Reed	New Jersey Nets Head Coach 1989–1992	Succeeded by Chuck Daly
Preceded by Bob Weiss	Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach 1994–1998	Succeeded by Chris Ford

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North Dakota Fighting Sioux Basketball Coaches

Sweetland • Dunlap • Armstrong • Archer • Gill • Caldwell • Davis • Houser • Letich • West • Jarrett • Cunningham • Jarrett • Bogan • Fitch • Rodgers • Gunther • Glas • Jones

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Bowling Green Falcons Head Basketball Coaches

Beyerman • Krieger • Snyder • McCandless • Steller • Landis • Anderson • Scholler • Fitch • Contbear • Haley • Weinert • Larranaga • Dakich

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Minnesota Golden Gophers Head Basketball Coaches

Cooke • Taylor • McMilan • Nordly • Mitchell • McMilan • Cowles • Kundla • Fitch • Hanson • Musselman • Dutcher • Williams • Haskins • Monson • Molinari • Smith