Charlie Spoonhour
Charles Graham Spoonhour (June 23, 1939 – February 1, 2012) was an American basketball coach.
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 23, 1939 Mulberry, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | February 1, 2012 (aged 72) Chapel Hill, North Carolina |
| Alma mater | University of Arkansas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1958–1961 | Ozarks |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1961–1963 | Rocky Comfort HS |
| 1963–1967 | Bloomfield HS (co-HC) |
| 1967–1968 | Salem HS |
| 1968–1972 | Southwest Missouri State (assistant) |
| 1972–1974 | Moberly JC |
| 1974–1975 | Oklahoma (assistant) |
| 1975–1981 | Southeastern (IA) CC |
| 1981–1983 | Nebraska (assistant) |
| 1983–1992 | Southwest Missouri State |
| 1992–1999 | Saint Louis |
| 2001–2004 | UNLV |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 373–202 (college) 205–63 (junior college) |
| Tournaments | 3–8 (NCAA Division I) 3–5 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 4 Mid-Continent regular season (1987–1990) 2 Mid-Continent tournament (1987, 1989) MVC tournament (1992) | |
| Awards | |
| 3x Mid-Continent Coach of the Year (1984, 1987, 1988) Henry Iba Award (1994) | |
Spoonhour was born in Mulberry, Kansas, attended high school in Rogers, Arkansas, and received an education degree from the University of the Ozarks.[1] He spent seven seasons as a high school basketball coach, then fourteen seasons bouncing between Division I assistant coaching positions and junior college head coaching positions. This included a four-year stretch from 1969 to 1973 as an assistant coach on the staff of head coach Bill Thomas at then-Division II Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State).[2]
Ten years later, Spoonhour was on the staff of Nebraska coach Moe Iba, when he was hired as head coach of SMS for the 1983–84 season, a year after the Bears had moved up to Division I. He led the Bears to five NCAA tournament appearances in a six-season stretch from 1987 to 1992. His best season was in 1986–87 when the Bears won the Mid-Continent Conference with a 13–1 mark and finished 28–6. Behind future NBA point guard Winston Garland,[2] they made it to the second round of the 1987 NCAA tournament as a #13-seed, beating fourth-seeded Clemson, 65–60, before losing to fifth-seeded Kansas, 67–63.[3]
After the 1991–92 season, he went to Saint Louis University, where he led the Billikens to three NCAA tournament appearances in seven seasons. In 2001, he went to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he retired from coaching following the 2003-04 season.
Spoonhour was known for wearing sweaters and slacks while coaching.
In 2010, he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and placed on the recipient list for a lung transplant. He received the lung transplant at Duke University Medical Center in August 2010, and was said to be in good condition, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He spent the next six months recuperating at Duke.
On February 1, 2012, Spoonhour died at the age of 72.
On April 6, 2012, Spoonhour's son, Jay Spoonhour, was named the head men's basketball coach at Eastern Illinois University.
Head coaching record
College
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Missouri State Bears (Association of Mid-Continent Universities / Mid-Continent Conference) (1983–1990) | |||||||||
| 1983–84 | Southwest Missouri State | 18–10 | 9–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1984–85 | Southwest Missouri State | 17–13 | 8–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1985–86 | Southwest Missouri State | 24–8 | 10–4 | 2nd | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1986–87 | Southwest Missouri State | 28–6 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| 1987–88 | Southwest Missouri State | 22–7 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1988–89 | Southwest Missouri State | 21–10 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1989–90 | Southwest Missouri State | 22–7 | 11–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| Southwest Missouri State Bears (Missouri Valley Conference) (1990–1992) | |||||||||
| 1990–91 | Southwest Missouri State | 22–12 | 11–5 | 2nd | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1991–92 | Southwest Missouri State | 23–8 | 13–5 | 3rd | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| Southwest Missouri State: | 197–81 (.709) | 97–31 (.758) | |||||||
| Saint Louis Billikens (Great Midwest Conference) (1992–1995) | |||||||||
| 1992–93 | Saint Louis | 12–17 | 1–9 | 6th | |||||
| 1993–94 | Saint Louis | 23–6 | 8–4 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1994–95 | Saint Louis | 23–8 | 8–4 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| Saint Louis Billikens (Conference USA) (1995–1999) | |||||||||
| 1995–96 | Saint Louis | 16–14 | 4–10 | 3rd (Blue) | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1996–97 | Saint Louis | 11–18 | 4–10 | 3rd (Blue) | |||||
| 1997–98 | Saint Louis | 22–11 | 11–5 | 3rd (American) | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| 1998–99 | Saint Louis | 15–16 | 8–8 | 5th (American) | |||||
| Saint Louis: | 122–90 (.575) | 44–50 (.468) | |||||||
| UNLV Runnin' Rebels (Mountain West Conference) (2001–2004) | |||||||||
| 2001–02 | UNLV | 21–11 | 9–5 | 3rd | NIT Second Round | ||||
| 2002–03 | UNLV | 21–11 | 8–6 | T–3rd | NIT First Round | ||||
| 2003–04 | UNLV | 12–9 | 4–6 | 5th | |||||
| UNLV: | 54–31 (.635) | 21–17 (.553) | |||||||
| Total: | 373–202 (.649) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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References
- Eisenbath, Mike (January 5, 1997). "As Cincy Visits, Bills Still Groping". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- Novak, Thad. "Mike Anderson to Arkansas: Top 10 Coaches Who Starred Where They Were Assistants". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 7 Nov 2011.
- 2010-11 Missouri State Men's Basketball Annual. Missouri State University. 2011. p. 158.