Don R. Eddy (December 16, 1935 – November 5, 2017) was an American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach, known for his tenure at

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

and as the first head basketball coach for the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Eddy played college basketball for

Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

. Following his college career, he coached at Southwest High School in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, then served as an assistant at

East Tennessee State East Tennessee State University (ETSU) is a Public university, public research university in Johnson City, Tennessee. Although it is part of the State University and Community College System of Tennessee, the university is governed by an instit ...

. He was hired as head coach at

Eastern Illinois Eastern Illinois University is a public university in Charleston, Illinois. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a co ...

in 1968. Eddy coached the Panthers for twelve seasons, compiling a 208–128 record as he guided the program from

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

to the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

(NAIA). He led the Panthers to Division II Final Four in

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...

and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

. On May 14, 1980, Eddy was announced as the first head coach for UTSA, with the school planning to a field team starting in the 1980–81 season. After compiling a record of 56–54, he resigned following an altercation with a player in a January 26, 1986, game. After his coaching career, Eddy ran basketball camps in

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

and Brenham, Tx. He died on November 5, 2017, at the age of 81.

Season by season results

References

External links

Division I coaching record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eddy, Don 1935 births 2017 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from West Virginia Basketball players from West Virginia College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Eastern Illinois Panthers men's basketball coaches East Tennessee State Buccaneers men's basketball coaches High school basketball coaches in the United States People from Kenova, West Virginia Southern Miss Golden Eagles basketball players UTSA Roadrunners men's basketball coaches Guards (basketball)