Ed Badger (born November 5, 1932) is a former college and 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.

Early life

Badger played junior varsity college basketball at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

, and later for the U.S. Air Force and division teams. He got his first basketball coaching job at St. Mary's High School, while getting his master's degree from the University of Iowa. After receiving his master's degree, Badger moved to Marengo, Iowa to coach the Marengo High School basketball team. He won the conference in his second year.

Coaching career

Early jobs

Badger then moved up to the college coaching ranks. For the next 15 years he was a very successful head basketball coach at

Wilbur Wright College Wilbur Wright College, formerly known as Wright Junior College, is a public community college in Chicago. Part of the City Colleges of Chicago system, it offers two-year associate's degrees, as well as occupational training in IT, manufacturing, ...

. Badger's teams won 25 or more games ever year he coached. In the 1973–74 and 1974–75 seasons Badger's teams went 33–0 and were ranked number 1 nationally in the polls for junior college teams. In international basketball, Badger was an Olympic basketball camp coach from 1968 to 1974. He also coached the Austrian national team in 1972 and coached the 1973 U.S. team during the World University Games in Moscow, winning the gold medal.

Chicago Bulls

Badger joined the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

as a part‐time assistant and head scout in 1973 while still athletic director and coach at Wright. He became a full-time assistant in 1975–76. He was appointed the Bulls' third-ever head coach on August 25, 1976, succeeding

Dick Motta John Richard Motta (born September 3, 1931) is an American former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years. Motta coached the Washington Wizards, Washington Bullets to the 1978 NBA Finals, 1978 ...

who had accepted a similar position with 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 ...

three months earlier on May 28."Badger, Aide Under Motta, Is Named Coach of Bulls," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Wednesday, August 25, 1976.
Retrieved December 4, 2020 He served in that capacity for two seasons from 1976 to 1978. He had a winning record and made the playoffs in his first season.

Cincinnati Bearcats

He was head coach of the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...

Bearcats' men's basketball team from 1978 to 1983, where he was a two-time Metro Conference coach of the year. On Dec. 21, 1981 Badger's team defeated Bradley 75–73 in a game that went into seven overtime periods.

Return to the NBA

Badger accepted an assistant coach job with the

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 ...

in 1983. He then joined 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), ...

as an assistant coach and director of scouting under K.C. Jones in 1984, where he won an NBA championship with the 1985–1986 team, considered by many to be one of the greatest NBA teams of all time. In 1988 Badger became vice president of basketball operations for the new expansion team

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

, where he stayed until 1990. He joined the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

as director of scouting from 1990 to 1992. In 1992, he returned as an assistant coach for the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, followed by assistant coach jobs with

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

and

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

and a chief scout job for the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

before retiring in 2003.

Head coaching record

NBA

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College

References

External links

BasketballReference.com: Ed Badger
{{DEFAULTSORT:Badger, Ed 1932 births Living people American men's basketball coaches Boston Celtics assistant coaches Charlotte Hornets assistant coaches Chicago Bulls assistant coaches Chicago Bulls head coaches Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States College men's basketball coaches in Illinois High school basketball coaches in Iowa Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball players Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States Miami Heat assistant coaches Wilbur Wright College faculty American men's basketball players Sportspeople from West New York, New Jersey Basketball coaches from New Jersey Basketball players from Hudson County, New Jersey