William Charles Fitch (May 19, 1932 – February 2, 2022) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He developed multiple teams into playoff contenders and won an NBA championship with the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

in 1981. Before entering the professional ranks, he coached

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

, the University of North Dakota, and his alma mater, Coe College. Fitch's teams twice qualified for the NCAA tournament. He won the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, and was elected to the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

in 2019. Christopher Gerhman portrayed him in Winning Time.

Early life

William Charles Fitch was born on May 19, 1932, in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...

. He attended Wilson in

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies o ...

, where he excelled in

College career

Fitch attended Coe College from 1950 to 1954.

Coaching career

Creighton (1956–1958)

Fitch was an assistant coach at Creighton from 1956 to 1958.

Coe (1958–1962)

Fitch coached Coe from 1958 to 1962.

North Dakota (1962–1967)

Fitch led North Dakota to three NCAA Division II men's basketball tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

Bowling Green (1967–1968)

At Fitch's only season with Bowling Green, the Falcons reached the 1968 NCAA University Division basketball tournament after winning the

Mid-American Conference The Mid-American Conference (MAC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region (North America), Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Its members co ...

title with an 18–7 record and 10–2 in conference play.

Minnesota (1968–1970)

In Fitch's two seasons at Minnesota, Fitch coached the Golden Gophers to 12–12 and 13–11.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1970–1979)

Fitch was the first head coach hired by the expansion

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

on March 19, 1970, for their inaugural 1970–71 season. In that season, the Cavaliers went 15–67. The Cavaliers did not have a season as bad as that one until the 1981–82 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. 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. The following season of 1975–76 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 forward Campy Russell, shooting guard Bobby "Bingo" Smith, and a supporting cast of largely unknown players such as starting center Jim Chones, and an aging Nate Thurmond. The team won 49 games (a team record for 13 seasons) and the Central Division title. They defeated the

Washington Bullets The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

in seven games to advance to the Conference Finals, where they were defeated in six games by the

, with Chones being sidelined by a broken foot in practice two days before the conference finals. The Cavaliers did not win another playoff series until

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

. Fitch was awarded the NBA Coach of the Year Award at the end of the season. Fitch led the team to two more playoff berths, although they did not win either series. After a 30–52 record for the 1978–79 season, he resigned on May 21, 1979.

Boston Celtics (1979–1983)

On May 23, 1979, Fitch was hired by the

, taking over for Dave Cowens, who had coached them to a 29–53 record as a player-coach the previous season. His first season in 1979–80 was also the first for

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

. A former drill instructor in the U. S. Marine Corps, the coach was lauded by Bird for his intense practices and discipline. 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 the Philadelphia 76ers in five games. Fitch won his second Coach of the Year Award after the season. In his second

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...

, the Celtics drafted Kevin McHale and acquired

Robert Parish Robert Lee Parish (born August 30, 1953) is an American former professional basketball player. A 7'1" Center (basketball), center, nicknamed "the Chief", Parish played for four teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1976 to 199 ...

, both through a trade with the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. Fitch's team won 62 games along with a second Atlantic title. They went on to beat the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

in six games to win the 1981 NBA Finals, Boston's first title since 1976. 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 the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in four games. On May 27, 1983, he resigned from the Celtics. Fitch cited Harry T. Mangurian Jr.'s announcement that he was selling the team due to difficulties with

Delaware North Delaware North is an American multinational food service and hospitality company headquartered in Buffalo, New York. The company also operates in the lodging, sporting, airport, gambling, and entertainment industries. The company employs over 5 ...

(the owners of the Boston Garden) as the last straw, despite Fitch having three years left on his contract.

Houston Rockets (1983–1988)

On June 1, 1983, Fitch was hired by the

, taking over for Del Harris, who had managed the team to 14 wins the previous season. The 1983–84 Houston Rockets season also happened to be the first season with Ralph Sampson on the team. The team won 29 games that season. The next season was the season in which the Rockets drafted

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

, and the team responded with 48 wins and a playoff berth, although they were beaten in five games by the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. His third season was his best season with the team as they won the Midwest Division title along with the Western Conference title after beating the Los Angeles Lakers in five games. They met Fitch's old team, the Celtics. Boston beat the team in six games to win the Finals. 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.

New Jersey Nets (1989–1992)

On August 21, 1989, Fitch was hired by the New Jersey Nets, replacing Willis Reed, who had gone 26–56 the previous season. The team acquired Sam 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. Fitch gradually raised the team up, acquiring Derrick Coleman, Dražen Petrović, and Terry Mills helping the team qualify for a playoff berth in the 1991–92 New Jersey Nets season. 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.

Los Angeles Clippers (1994–1998)

On July 28, 1994, Fitch was hired by the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

, replacing Bob Weiss, who had gone 27–55 the previous year. 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 the 1996–97 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. Two days after the season ended, Fitch was fired on April 20, 1998. Fitch's most losses record in NBA history with 1,106 losses a record stood for five years until

Lenny Wilkens Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, fi ...

broke his mark during the 2002–03 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. Fitch coached at four universities: the

, the University of North Dakota, and his alma mater, Coe College. 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) behind

. In 1996, Fitch was named one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History. In 2016, Fitch was honored with an honorary bench by the Hall of Fame, which surrounds a statue of

James Naismith James Naismith (; November 6, 1861November 28, 1939) was a Scottish-Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, and sports coach, best known as the inventor of the game of basketball. After moving to the United State ...

along with other granite benches in honor of great coaches, all made possible through a $150,000 donation by

Rick Carlisle Richard Preston Carlisle ( ; born October 27, 1959) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously served as head coach of the Detroi ...

Personal life and death

Fitch was born in

, on May 19, 1932. He attended Coe College, where he played basketball and baseball and graduated in 1954 with a degree in physical education. Fitch died in Lake Conroe, Texas, on February 2, 2022, at the age of 89.

Head coaching record

NBA

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Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

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, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 40, , 42, , .488, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Central, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 49, , 33, , .598, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Central, , 13, , 6, , 7, , .462 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 43, , 39, , .524, , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Central, , 3, , 1, , 2, , .333 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 43, , 39, , .524, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Central, , 2, , 0, , 2, , .000 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 30, , 52, , .366, , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Central, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 61, , 21, , .744, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Atlantic, , 9, , 5, , 4, , .556 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Finals , - ! style="background:#FDE910;" , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 62, , 20, , .756, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Atlantic, , 17, , 12, , 5, , .706 , style="text-align:center;", Won NBA Championship , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 63, , 19, , .768, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Atlantic, , 12, , 7, , 5, , .583 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 56, , 26, , .683, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Atlantic, , 7, , 2, , 5, , .286 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Semi-finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

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, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 48, , 34, , .585, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in Midwest, , 5, , 2, , 3, , .400 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 51, , 31, , .622, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in Midwest, , 20, , 13, , 7, , .650 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

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, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 42, , 40, , .512, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Midwest, , 10, , 5, , 5, , .500 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Conf. Semi-finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 46, , 36, , .561, , style="text-align:center;", 4th in Midwest, , 4, , 1, , 3, , .250 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;",

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 17, , 65, , .207, , style="text-align:center;", 6th in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 26, , 56, , .317, , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Atlantic, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 40, , 42, , .488, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Atlantic, , 4, , 1, , 3, , .250 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 17, , 65, , .207, , style="text-align:center;", 7th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 29, , 53, , .354, , style="text-align:center;", 7th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 36, , 46, , .439, , style="text-align:center;", 5th in Pacific, , 3, , 0, , 3, , .000 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 17, , 65, , .207, , style="text-align:center;", 7th in Pacific, , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed Playoffs , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 2,050, , 944, , 1,106, , .460, , , , 109, , 55, , 54, , .505 Source:

References

External links

BasketballReference.com: Bill Fitch
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitch, Bill 1932 births 2022 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Iowa Basketball players from Iowa Boston Celtics head coaches Bowling Green Falcons men's basketball coaches Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches Coe Kohawks baseball players Coe Kohawks men's basketball coaches Coe Kohawks men's basketball players College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Creighton Bluejays baseball coaches Creighton Bluejays men's basketball coaches Houston Rockets head coaches Los Angeles Clippers head coaches Military personnel from Iowa Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball coaches Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees NBA championship–winning head coaches New Jersey Nets head coaches North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's basketball coaches Basketball players from Cedar Rapids, Iowa Basketball players from Davenport, Iowa United States Marines 20th-century American sportsmen