Donald Lloyd Monson (born April 11, 1933) is a former

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 ...

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

and the father of head coach

Dan Monson Daniel Lloyd Monson (born October 6, 1961) is an American college basketball coach serving as the head coach at Long Beach State since April 2007. Previously he was head coach at Minnesota for over seven seasons (1999–2006), reaching postseason ...

. He was a high school

for 18 seasons and college

for 14 seasons: five at

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

and nine at

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. He was selected by his peers as the national

coach of the year Many sports leagues, sportswriting associations, and other organizations confer "Coach of the Year" awards. In some sports — including baseball and association football — the award is called the "Manager of the Year" award. Some of the ...

Monson spent 1993 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, coaching the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...

of the National Basketball League.

Early years

Born in

Menahga, Minnesota Menahga is a city in Wadena County in the U.S. state of Minnesota The population was 1,306 at the 2010 census. History Menahga was platted in 1891, and named for an Ojibwe language word meaning "there are anyblueberries". A post office has bee ...

, Monson moved with his family when he was in the second grade to Coeur d'Alene in

northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

. During his sophomore year at

Coeur d'Alene High School Coeur d’Alene High School is a four-year public secondary school in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, one of two traditional high schools in the Coeur d'Alene School District #271. It serves the northeastern half of the district, with students from the ci ...

, the Vikings won the state title under longtime coach Elmer Jordan, defeating Burley 53–43 in far-away

Pocatello Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...

. Monson graduated from high school in 1951 and then attended the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The University ...

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, where he

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

for three years in basketball and graduated He played under Vandal head coach Charles Finley through his junior year, then

Harlan Hodges Harlan Crews Hodges (November 11, 1902 – June 6, 1994) was an American college basketball coach and educator. He was the head coach at Murray State (1948–54) and Idaho (1954–59), then became a high school administrator. Early career Hodges ...

for his senior season.

High school coach

After a stint in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

, Monson was a successful high school coach in

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanfor ...

, a

for 18 seasons from compiling a record of . Monson first led Cheney High School for nine seasons with a record. While in Cheney, southwest of nearby

Spokane Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Ca ...

, he earned a master's degree at Eastern Washington State College. In 1967, Monson moved southwest to Pasco in the Tri-Cites, where he led Pasco High for nine seasons and posted a record.

College assistant

Monson moved up to the collegiate ranks 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 ...

as an assistant under friend

Jud Heathcote George Melvin "Jud" Heathcote (May 27, 1927 – August 28, 2017) was an American basketball player and coach. He was a college basketball head coach for 24 seasons: five at the University of Montana and nineteen at Michigan State University H ...

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

. Heathcoate (1927–2017) was in his first year with the Spartans, hired after five seasons as head coach at

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

; he was previously an assistant at

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

in Pullman and a high school head coach in the

area at West Valley. The two had first crossed paths in December 1950, when Monson was a high school senior; he scored a dozen points and CDA defeated West Valley in Heathcote's first game as a With the Spartans, Monson refined the matchup zone defense and was given credit for the recruitment of

Earvin "Magic" Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player. He is often regarded as the greatest point guard of all-time and has been compared with Stephen Curry. Johnson played 13 seasons in the ...

to the Spartans in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

. Monson stayed in

East Lansing East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Most of the city lies within Ingham County with a smaller portion extending north into Clinton County. At the 2020 Census the population was 47,741. Located directly east of the state capital ...

for two seasons, leaving in August 1978 for the late vacancy at Idaho. The Spartans won the national championship that season, defeating the

Indiana State Sycamores The Indiana State Sycamores are the NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic teams of Indiana State University. Since the 1977–78 academic year, Indiana State has been a member of the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). The Indiana State foot ...

, led by

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 ...

, in the title game in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

Idaho Vandals

Monson became a college

in August 1978 at the

, his alma mater. In the early 1950s, he was a reserve guard for the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal Kingdom, Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The ...

who "never started one damn game here." Monson took over a dismal Idaho basketball program from

Jim Jarvis James C. Jarvis (born March 3, 1943) is an American former basketball player and coach. He played professionally in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and later coached at the NCAA Division I level for the University of Idaho. Early years ...

, who resigned on July 1 after four poor seasons (26–78, ) and was under investigation by the NCAA for recruiting violations.Go Vandals.com
– Basketball media guide – 2011–12 – p. 75 Jarvis' final team went just 4–22 () and 1–13 in conference play in 1978. The Vandals finished in last place in the eight-team Big Sky every season under Jarvis and had finished no higher than sixth place for seven consecutive seasons. The first season under Monson brought another last place finish in the Big Sky, their fifth straight, and an overall record of for the 1979 season, but the groundwork had begun. The next season, the 1980 Vandals finished second in the Big Sky and overall. They swept

in the regular season, but lost to the Grizzlies in the semi-finals of the four-team conference tournament, won by host and regular season champion

Weber State Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

1980–81 season

Monson's third season opened well, as the 1981 Vandals won their first ten games (including road wins at

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, and Gonzaga). Idaho went in the regular season and won the Big Sky regular season championship, their first conference title ever Their conference record earned them the host position for the conference tournament (top four teams of the eight), which they won and were seeded seventh in the West region of the 48-team NCAA tournament. Idaho lost in overtime by one point to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, the #10 seed, in

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

in the first round. The Vandals finished the season with an overall record of with most of the key

1981–82 season

The 1982 basketball team was the most successful in the school's history, and has yet to be surpassed. Building upon the success of the previous season, the Vandals won their first 16 games and were ranked sixth in both polls after completing a regular They defeated Gonzaga (for a third straight year) and all four

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

teams from the

Northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

. Idaho won the eight-team Far West Classic in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

in late December 1981, winning all three games by at least 19 points (over

Iowa State Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

, The Vandals' only setbacks during the regular season were consecutive two-point road losses in late January. The first was to rival

on a raucous Saturday night in

Missoula Missoula ( ; fla, label=Salish language, Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula Cou ...

on a tip-in at the buzzer. The second was to Notre Dame in

South Bend South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

two days later, ending a three-games-in-four-nights road trip, which included multiple weather-related travel delays and re-routes, and a 4:30 am arrival in South Bend on game day. Although the Vandals hit 14 of their first 15 shots to jump to lead over the Irish, Notre Dame regrouped at home to win by two in overtime. Idaho was awarded just four free throws in the 45 minutes of play and missed them all. Notre Dame was led by future

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

guard

John Paxson John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was th ...

The Vandals then won eight straight games to conclude the regular season, and won the four-team conference tournament, which they hosted for the second straight year as regular season champions. Their 26–2 record after the Big Sky tournament (& ten straight victories) earned the Vandals a #8 national ranking and a #3 seed in the West region of the 48-team NCAA tournament, which included a first round bye. Idaho's first game (in the second round) was nearly a home game, played less than west at

Beasley Coliseum Beasley Coliseum is a general-purpose indoor arena in the northwest United States, located on the campus of Washington State University in Pullman, Washington. The home venue for both the Cougars men's and women's basketball teams of the Pac-12 C ...

in Pullman on a Sunday afternoon. The opponent was 16th-ranked

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

of the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

, the region's #6 seed, then coached by

Lute Olson Robert Luther "Lute" Olson (September 22, 1934 – August 27, 2020) was an American basketball coach, who was inducted into both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He was the head co ...

. Iowa, a Final Four team two years earlier, won their first-round game handily, but Idaho won this close game by two points, 69–67 in overtime, and advanced to the Sweet 16 at the West regional in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

.
There the Vandals met fourth-ranked Oregon State, the #2 seed in the West region. Idaho had defeated the Beavers by 22 points in December at the Far West Classic in Memorial Coliseum (Portland), Portland, but this time the result was far different, as the Beavers won 60–42. OSU was defeated two days later by the region's #1 seed Georgetown, led by freshman center

Patrick Ewing Patrick Aloysius Ewing (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Georgetown University men's team. He played most of his career as the starting center for the New ...

. (Georgetown advanced to the national final, where they lost by a point to

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

.) The Vandals finished the 1982 season at , and were ranked as high as sixth in the nation ( AP and UPI polls); they were eighth in mid-January, when they were undefeated The 1982 starters

Ken Owens Kenneth James Owens (born 3 January 1987) is a Welsh rugby union player who plays as a hooker for the Scarlets and Wales. He made his debut for the Scarlets in 2006, taking over from Matthew Rees as their first-choice hooker upon Rees' departu ...

() and

Brian Kellerman Brian Kellerman is an American former basketball player, known for his college career for the Idaho Vandals, where he was the Big Sky Conference player of the year in 1981 as a sophomore. He later played professionally in England and Turkey. Hig ...

() in the backcourt, with forwards Phil Hopson and Gordie Herbert and center Kelvin Smith, all at . Just before their two losses in January, the team was featured in a two-page article in ''

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twic ...

''
(team photo)
The

alley-oop An alley-oop in basketball is an offensive play in which one player throws the ball near the basket to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air and dunks or lays it in before touching the ground. The alley-oop combines elements of team ...

was a frequently used play against man-to-man defenses. Don Monson was named the

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

Coach of the Year in Division I in 198
(photo)
and rumors were rampant that he would jump to a higher league, maybe to struggling

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

in the

. That position was filled by Ben Lindsey (who was dismissed after one season, succeeded by

of Iowa), and Monson chose to stay for another year at Idaho. With a salary of about $40,000 in 1982 and a one-year contract, an "appreciation fund" was set up by local fans to entice him to stay Th
1982 team
was inducted into th
Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame
as was Monson.

1982–83 season

The 1983 Vandals returned three starters (Kellerman, Hopson, and Smith) and began the season at repeating as Far West Classic champs in December 1982. Idaho again defeated all four

schools during the regular season, and also won at Gonzaga, then led by legendary point guard

John Stockton John Houston Stockton (born March 26, 1962) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as one of the greatest point guards, players and passers of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, ...

. Several of the Vandals players had injuries late in the year, and the team finished tied for third in the Big Sky at and an overall record They lost in the semifinals (first round) of the conference tourney at

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the c ...

to regular season champion

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, 78–73. This was followed by a first round loss in the NIT against

in Corvallis on March 16, ending the Vandals' season at , and Monson's five-year stint on the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a distinct geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of north central Idaho, southeastern Washington, and, by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. It is a major agricultural area, primaril ...

Legacy in Moscow

Don Monson became a cult hero in the

community in the early 1980s, bringing championship status to a university that had long struggled in both football and basketball. He was well known for his anguished expressions and contorted body language while on the Idaho sideline, which became the subject for an unofficial fan club (and

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

T-shirts). Monson was the biggest thing to happen to Vandal basketball since Gus Johnson 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 ...

(and his elevated nail at the Corner Club on Main Street). Five years after his departure to Eugene, he was honored with a roast The Vandal basketball team could outdraw the

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...

football team in the multi-purpose

Kibbie Dome The William H. Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center (commonly known as the Kibbie Dome) is a multi-purpose indoor athletic stadium in the northwest United States, on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. It is the home of the Idaho V ...

, and it was ranked by ''

'' as one of the toughest home courts in America. From January 1980 to February 1983, the Vandals won 43 consecutive games on their home floor. (After a shocking loss to

in front of a record 11,800 on February 12, the Vandals won their final three home games in 1983.) In Monson's final four seasons at Idaho, the Vandals were at home. Monson's overall record in his five seasons at Idaho was and was in his final three seasons. His successor was

Bill Trumbo William Roy Trumbo (September 17, 1939 – October 28, 2018) was an American college basketball coach and athletics director in the western United States, primarily in California and Hawaii, and coached at the Division I level for three seasons ...

, a successful

junior college A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...

head coach in northern

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Trumbo did not come close to equaling Monson's success, as the Vandals struggled and returned to last place in the Big Sky in each of his three seasons, going in conference and overall. Trumbo lost 21 games at home in the

and was relieved in March 1986, succeeded by

Tim Floyd Tim Floyd (born February 25, 1954) is a former American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). He was formerly the head coach of several teams in the NCAA and the NBA. Floyd is also kn ...

. During the "Monson Era" at Idaho, the neighboring

Cougars were also doing well in basketball under head coach

George Raveling George Henry Raveling (born June 27, 1937) is an American former college basketball player and coach. He played at Villanova University, and was the head coach at Washington State University the University of Iowa and the University of Southern ...

, advancing to the NCAA tournament in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

and

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

. Monson's Vandals were against the Cougars, winning the final three (in three different cities) to the great frustration of the Cougar Nation and the Pullman community. The highlight of this series was the final game, in early December 1982, which was the only one played in

. A then-record (basketball) crowd of over 11,000 packed into the

's south grandstand & expanded temporary bleachers to witness a four-point overtime victory for the Vandals, their 37th consecutive win at home. Concurrently in

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, the resurgent Vandals

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...

(under first-year head coach

Dennis Erickson Dennis Brian Erickson (born March 24, 1947) is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football league. He was also the head coach at the University of Idaho ( ...

) was on the road battling eventual champion

Eastern Kentucky Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai * Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways * Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 * Eastern Air ...

in the I-AA playoffs; losing in a game that went down to the That 1983 Cougar team, led by future

guard

Craig Ehlo Joel Craig Ehlo (; born August 11, 1961) is a retired American basketball player. He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with four teams, amassing career totals of 7,492 points, 2,456 assists and 3,139 rebounds. P ...

, finished second in the

with a 14–4 record, a game behind champion

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. The Cougars' non-conference losses were both on the road in early December to Big Sky opponents; Idaho and

. The Cougars advanced to the second round in the West regional of the NCAA tournament, losing to #1 seed

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

by five points, finishing at 23–7. After that loss,

George Raveling left Washington State to replace

. With Monson also leaving for

, college basketball on the

went into dormancy. Simultaneous success for both universities in basketball (or any other sport) has yet to recur.

Oregon Ducks

Following the 1983 season, Monson moved up to the

conference to coach the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

Ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

in Eugene. He took over a team from former head coach Jim Haney. Monson's best record at Oregon came in his first season, as the 1984 Ducks went in the Pac-10 and overall. Monson went in nine seasons, but never made the NCAA tournament. Oregon qualified for the NIT three times, but only won one game, Monson's final year at Oregon was the 1992 season, which ended with a 2–16 record in conference and 6–21 () overall. He was replaced by Jerry Green, who coached the Ducks for five seasons before leaving for

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

after the 1997 season. Green was succeeded by

Ernie Kent Ernest Kent (born January 22, 1955)GoDucks.com E ...

. Monson's Oregon Ducks never faced the Idaho Vandals during his nine seasons in Eugene. The two teams played the season before Monson arrived (his last at Idaho, in the Far West Classic, a Vandal victory) and the one immediately after he departed in December 1992. Monson's teams went in his 14 seasons as a head coach. His best finish was with his 1982

Idaho Vandals The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of Idaho, located in Moscow. The Vandals compete at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Big Sky Conference. The football team was an independent for th ...

, a #3 seed in the West regional that advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, and spent time in the national polls in the Top Ten. They finished 27–3 without a starter taller than . In December 2004, Gonzaga honored Monson with the second annual "Battle in Seattle Award", presented to an individual who has demonstrated a lifelong contribution to basketball in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though ...

Marv Harshman Marvel Keith Harshman (October 4, 1917 – April 12, 2013) was a college basketball coach, a head coach for forty years in the state of Washington at Pacific Lutheran University, Washington State University, and the University of Washington. Ear ...

was the inaugural recipient a year earlier.

Adelaide 36ers

In 1993, Monson was signed to coach the

who play in the National Basketball League in Australia. Monson only coached the 36ers for the

1993 NBL season The 1993 NBL season was the 15th season of National Basketball League competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 14 teams contested the league, It was broadcast on Network Ten at midnight due to low ratings of live coverage until 19 ...

, leading the team to a 14–14 record as the 36ers finished in 7th place, losing their Quarter-Final series in two games to the defending champion

South East Melbourne Magic The South East Melbourne Magic was an Australian basketball team based in Melbourne. The Magic competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) between 1992 and 1998, and played their home games at Rod Laver Arena. In their seven seasons, the ...

. Although the 36ers had improved on their

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

season record of 11-13 where they failed to reach the

playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

for only the second time since

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

, Monson was not retained as coach of the team and was replaced by former

Cal Lutheran California Lutheran University (CLU, Cal Lutheran, or Cal Lu) is a private university in Thousand Oaks, California. It was founded in 1959 and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but is nonsectarian. It opened in 1960 ...

head coach

Mike Dunlap Michael Gregory Dunlap (born May 27, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach who serves as assistant coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association. Dunlap is the former head coach of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. ...

for the 1994 season.

Current

Monson currently resides in

, as did his former boss and mentor

, until Heathcote's death at 90 in August 2017.

Head coaching record

College

NBL

, - , align="left" ,

, align="left" ,

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, 28, , 14, , 14, , , , align="center" , 7th , , 2, , 0, , 2, , , align="center" , Quarter-finalists , -class="sortbottom" , align="left" , Career , , , 28, , 14, , 14, , , , , , 2, , 0, , 2, ,

References

External links

Sports Reference
– college coaching record – Don Monson
University of Idaho – Vandal Athletics Hall of Fame
– Don Monson {{DEFAULTSORT:Monson, Don 1933 births Living people Adelaide 36ers coaches American expatriate basketball people in Australia American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Minnesota Basketball coaches from Idaho Basketball coaches from Washington (state) Basketball players from Minnesota Basketball players from Idaho Basketball players from Spokane, Washington College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Eastern Washington University alumni High school basketball coaches in the United States Idaho Vandals men's basketball coaches Idaho Vandals men's basketball players Michigan State Spartans men's basketball coaches Oregon Ducks men's basketball coaches People from Cheney, Washington People from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho People from Menahga, Minnesota People from Moscow, Idaho Forwards (basketball) Guards (basketball)