Hugh Greer (1902 – January 14, 1963) was the

Connecticut Huskies men's basketball The UConn Huskies men's basketball program is the intercollegiate men's basketball team of the University of Connecticut, in Storrs, Connecticut. They currently play in the Big East Conference (Big East) and are coached by Dan Hurley. The Husk ...

coach from 1946 to 1963.

Biography

Early life and education

Born in

Suffield, Connecticut Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It was once within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. As of the 2020 census, ...

, Hugh Greer went to school at Connecticut Agricultural College (CAC, now

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

). As a basketball player at CAC, Greer helped lead his school to a New England Conference championship in 1926.

Coaching career

Greer coached basketball at

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

from 1947 to 1963. As coach of the

Huskies Husky is a general term for a dog used in the polar regions, primarily and specifically for work as sled dogs. It refers to a traditional northern type, notable for its cold-weather tolerance and overall hardiness. Modern racing huskies that ma ...

he led UConn to 7 NCAA Tournaments and 1 NIT berth. He would end his career with a record of 286–112 for a .719 win percentage. He was the winningest coach in Connecticut history until

Jim Calhoun James A. Calhoun (born May 10, 1942) is a longtime college basketball coach. He is best known for his tenure as head coach of the University of Connecticut (UConn) men's basketball team. His teams won three NCAA national championships (1999, 20 ...

passed him in 1998. As head coach, he won 12 Yankee Conference Championships overall and 10 consecutively from the 1950–51 season to the 1959–60 season. In 1954, he famously led UConn to a 78–77 victory against undefeated Holy Cross breaking the

Crusaders The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and sometimes directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The best known of these Crusades are those to the Holy Land in the period between 1095 and 1291 that were in ...

' 47-game home winning streak. Eventually, Holy Cross won the NIT title. In 1956, Greer led UConn to the Sweet 16, where they lost in a close game to

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. He led UConn until he died on January 14, 1963, of a massive heart attack. Assistant George Wigton finished out the season and led them to the NCAA Tournament. UConn credits the first 10 games of the season to Greer and the rest of the season (including the NCAA Tournament) to Wigton.

Head coaching record

Awards

*1957: University of Connecticut Distinguished Alumni Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Greer, Hugh 1902 births 1963 deaths American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Connecticut Basketball players from Connecticut People from Suffield, Connecticut UConn Huskies athletic directors UConn Huskies men's basketball coaches UConn Huskies men's basketball players