Robert G. Kloppenburg (born July 28, 1927) is an American

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 (appr ...

coach. Kloppenburg played college basketball at

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

and

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

. In a career spanning from the 1950s to 1990s, Kloppenburg coached at the high school, college, and professional levels. From 1958 to 1976 and 1977 to 1978, Kloppenburg was head coach at California Western (later United States International) University. For much of the 1980s and 1990s, Kloppenburg was an NBA assistant coach 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 league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Confe ...

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, and

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

; he also had brief stints as interim head coach for the Cavaliers and SuperSonics. Utilizing an influential press defense system, Kloppenburg is regarded as one of the best defensive coaches.

Early life and college playing career

Kloppenburg graduated from John Marshall High School in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Graduating in 1945, Kloppenburg was the Los Angeles City Basketball Player of the Year as a senior. He then played one season in 1945–46 for the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC) under head coach

Sam Barry Justin McCarthy "Sam" Barry (December 17, 1892 – September 23, 1950) was an American collegiate coach who achieved significant accomplishments in three major sports - football, baseball, and basketball. He remains one of only three coaches to ...

. Averaging 10.9 points per game, Kloppenburg was USC's leading scorer that season. Kloppenburg then transferred to Fresno State College (now

California State University, Fresno California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

), where he played for the

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

in the 1949–50 season under head coach Cornelius "Dutch" Warmerdam, averaging 9.0 points in eight games.

Coaching career

Early coaching career (1951–1958)

In the 1951–52 season, Kloppenburg was junior varsity coach for Fresno State. The following season, Kloppenburg was head coach at Lindsay High School at

Lindsay, California Lindsay is a city in Tulare County, California, United States. The population was 12,659 at th2020 census Lindsay is located southeast of Visalia and north of Porterville and is considered part of the Visalia-Porterville Metropolitan Area and t ...

. At Lindsay, Kloppenburg emphasized defense and ball control in a coaching style inspired by

Hank Iba Henry Payne Iba (; August 6, 1904 – January 15, 1993) was an American basketball coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College, now known as Northwest Missouri S ...

and

Pete Newell Peter Francis Newell (August 31, 1915 – November 17, 2008) was an American college basketball, college men's basketball coach and basketball instructional coach. He coached for 15 years at the San Francisco Dons men's basketball, University of ...

. Kloppenburg returned to Southern California to be head coach at

Victor Valley High School Victor Valley High School is located in Victorville, California, United States. It is the oldest high school in the Victor Valley Union High School District (VVUHSD). The original campus was located at the former Victor Valley Junior High and Un ...

Victorville, California Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. History In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cro ...

beginning in 1953–54. In 1956, Kloppenburg became head coach at

Paramount High School Paramount High School is a comprehensive public high school in Paramount, California, USA. It is part of the Paramount Unified School District. The school serves students in grades 9–12 on two campuses, West Campus for 9th grade students and Se ...

Paramount, California Paramount is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 54,098, down from 55,266 at the 2000 census. Paramount is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area and is borde ...

. Although Paramount had a strong interior defense, Kloppenburg adapted his defensive coaching to compete against teams like

Compton High School Compton High School is a high school in Compton, California, United States, part of the Compton Unified School District. History The school opened in 1896 as Compton Union High School and was later re-established as Compton Senior High School in ...

that specialized in jump shooting.

California Western/U.S. International and Donar (1958–1978)

Kloppenburg had his first varsity college head coaching position in 1958 as the first head coach at California Western University, an NAIA independent school in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, in 1958. California Western University became United States International University in 1968; U.S. International was merged into

Alliant International University Alliant International University, often called Alliant, is a private for-profit university with its main campus in San Diego and other campuses in California. It offers programs in six California campuses – in San Francisco, San Diego, Los Ang ...

in 2001. In 19 seasons at California Western/U.S. International, Kloppenburg had a cumulative 322–192 record from 1958 to 1978 with NAIA tournament appearances in

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

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 ...

, and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

. In the 1976–77 season, Kloppenburg left U.S. International to coach for Dutch team Nationale Nederlanden Donar.Bob Kloppenburg's profile on DonarMuseum.nl
/ref> Kloppenburg led Donar to a 19–17 record. After one final season at U.S. International in 1977–78, in which the team went 12–15, Kloppenburg left for the second and final time due to what he believed were inferior facilities that affected recruiting.

NBA scout and assistant (1978–1998)

Beginning in 1978, Kloppenburg coached the

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...

basketball team and scouted for 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 team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

. In the 1979–80 season, Kloppenburg was the lead scout for the

. The following season, Kloppenburg was promoted to assistant coach on

Lenny Wilkens Leonard Randolph Wilkens (born October 28, 1937) is an American former basketball player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been inducted three times into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, first in 1989 as ...

's staff. Kloppenburg later was an assistant coach for the

in 1981–82. On December 3, 1981, Kloppenburg became interim head coach for the Cavaliers after the firing of head coach

Don Delaney Don Delaney (January 3, 1936 – February 16, 2011) was an American professional basketball coach, who served as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the early 1980s. Delaney also served as the team's general manager. Life Former Cavaliers ow ...

. Kloppenburg went 0–3 as interim coach before

Chuck Daly Charles Jerome Daly (July 20, 1930 – May 9, 2009) was an American basketball head coach. He led the Detroit Pistons to two consecutive National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in 1989 and 1990—during the team's "Bad Boys" era— ...

formally took over. The team finished the season 15–67 under four different head coaches. After leaving the Cavaliers, Kloppenburg was a scout for the

San Diego Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

in 1982–83 and

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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

in 1983–84. In 1984–85, Kloppenburg was an assistant coach at

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes the S ...

under

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Rebe ...

. UNLV went 28–4 and qualified for the second round of the NCAA tournament. After UNLV, Kloppenburg returned to the NBA for a second stint as assistant coach for the SuperSonics that lasted from 1985 to 1995 under head coaches

Bernie Bickerstaff Bernard Tyrone Bickerstaff (born February 11, 1944) is an American basketball coach and front office executive, currently serving as the Senior Basketball Advisor for the Cleveland Cavaliers. As a coach, he previously worked as the head coach for ...

K. C. Jones K. C. Jones (May 25, 1932 – December 25, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known for his association with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with whom he won 11 of his 12 ...

, and

George Karl George Matthew Karl (born May 12, 1951) is an American former professional basketball coach and player. After spending five years as a player for the San Antonio Spurs, Karl became an assistant with the team before getting the chance to become a ...

. The SuperSonics made the playoffs in all but two years (1986 and 1990) and qualified for the Western Conference Finals in 1987 and 1993 during Kloppenburg's second stint. Beginning January 15, 1992, Kloppenburg served as interim head coach of the SuperSonics after the firing of Jones. The SuperSonics went 2–2 under Kloppenburg before the hiring of Karl on January 23; the SuperSonics finished the season 47–35 and qualified for the Western Conference Semifinals. Prior to the 1995–96 season, Kloppenburg reunited with Bickerstaff as an assistant coach for the

for one season. Kloppenburg's final coaching job was with the

in 1997–98. After retiring from coaching, Kloppenburg co-founded the coaching website ''HoopTactics.net''.

Coaching style

Kloppenburg is regarded as the innovator of the SOS defensive system, known for its ability to create turnovers because of "contact switching" on every screen and intense ball pressure with trapping principles.

Personal life

Kloppenburg lives in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as a s ...

. He is married to Gayle Kloppenburg. They have two children, including

Gary Kloppenburg Gary Robert Kloppenburg (born January 6, 1953) is an American basketball coach. Early life and college career Kloppenburg was born in 1953, when his father Bob Kloppenburg was head coach at Lindsay High School in Lindsay, California. When Bob Klo ...

, a head coach for the WNBA teams

Tulsa Shock The Tulsa Shock were a professional basketball team based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded in Detroit, Michigan before the 1998 WNBA season began; ...

(2012–2013) and

Seattle Storm The Seattle Storm are an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The Storm competes in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was founded by Ginger Ackerl ...

(2017, 2020–present). Granddaughter Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt has been an assistant women's basketball coach at

San Jose State San José State University (San Jose State or SJSU) is a public university in San Jose, California. Established in 1857, SJSU is the oldest public university on the West Coast and the founding campus of the California State University (CSU) sy ...

since 2018.

Coaching record

College

Sources:

NBA

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Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

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Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

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References

External links

*
BasketballReference.com: Bob Kloppenburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kloppenburg, Bob 1927 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Donar (basketball club) coaches Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches Seattle SuperSonics assistant coaches Seattle SuperSonics head coaches USC Trojans men's basketball players Sportspeople from Los Angeles Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball players Sportspeople from Bellevue, Washington United States International Gulls men's basketball High school basketball coaches in California Toronto Raptors assistant coaches Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball coaches Basketball players from Los Angeles