Henry C. Raymonds (March 5, 1924 – December 6, 2010) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head basketball coach at Christian Brothers College from 1955 to 1961

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of M ...

from 1977 to 1983. Raymonds was also the athletic director at Marquette from 1977 to 1987.

Biography

Early life

At St. Louis University High School, Raymonds was a three-sport standout in baseball, basketball and football. He played one season each of varsity basketball and baseball at Saint Louis University before entering the US Marines in 1943. Following World War II, Raymonds returned to St. Louis University and earned three additional letters each in basketball and baseball, and was named to the All-

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

team as guard in 1946. He was a member of

Eddie Hickey Edgar S. Hickey (December 20, 1902 – December 5, 1980) was an American basketball and football coach. He coached basketball at his alma mater of Creighton University (1935–1943, 1946–1947), St. Louis University (1947–1958) and Marquette ...

's 1948 Billiken squad that won the National Invitation Tournament championship with a 24–3 record. Raymonds was graduated from St. Louis University in January 1949, with a bachelor's degree in education. His baseball talents drew the attention of major league scouts, and he was signed to a contract by the old Boston Braves. In 1948, Raymonds played for both the Evansville Braves and Richmond Roses in minor league baseball.

Coaching career

After one year as an insurance agent, Raymonds was persuaded to try coaching. In five seasons at St. Louis University High School he compiled a 108–23 record (.824). His Junior Billikens won the 1952 Missouri State championship and were state runners-up in 1953. While coaching at the high school, Raymonds also guided the 1955 St. Louis University baseball squad to a 15–5 record and the championship of its division in the

. Moving into the college ranks in 1955 at Christian Brothers College in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, Raymonds transformed a weak program into a small college power with a six-year record of 110–50 (.688). Under Raymonds' guidance, CBC won three NAIA District 27 titles. Raymonds joined the Marquette coaching ranks in 1961 as assistant basketball coach to Eddie Hickey, and coached the MU freshman and junior varsity squads from 1964 to 1973. His teams recorded an impressive 127 wins with only 18 losses. As assistant coach to Hickey's successor,

Al McGuire Alfred James McGuire (September 7, 1928 – January 26, 2001) was an American college basketball coach and broadcaster, the head coach at Marquette University from 1964 to 1977. He won a national championship in his final season at Marquette, a ...

, Raymonds was recognized as the skilled technician who coordinated and disciplined the Marquette attack. Raymonds was head basketball coach at Marquette from 1977 to 1983 and compiled a record of 126–50 (.716) in six seasons. His teams reached post-season competition in each of the years that he was head coach. His overall record at the collegiate level is 236–100 in 12 seasons.

Awards

Raymonds is a member of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as well as the St. Louis University Sports Hall of Fame as well as Marquette University's M Club Hall of Fame. He was elected to the

Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michi ...

in 2005.

Head coaching record

College

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raymonds, Hank 1924 births 2010 deaths American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Missouri Basketball players from St. Louis Christian Brothers Buccaneers basketball coaches College men's basketball head coaches in the United States Deaths from cancer in Wisconsin High school basketball coaches in the United States Marquette Golden Eagles athletic directors Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball coaches Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball players Saint Louis Billikens baseball coaches Richmond Roses players