Louis P. Campanelli (August 10, 1938 – January 31, 2023) was an American basketball coach. He served as head coach at

James Madison University James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...

from 1972 to 1985 and the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

from 1986 to 1993.

Early life

Campanelli was born on August 10, 1938, in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

. He graduated from

Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...

Coaching career

James Madison

Campanelli was head coach at James Madison for 13 years (1972–85) where he guided the Dukes to a record of 238–118 and five NCAA Tournament appearances. His 21-year head coaching record stands at 361–226 (.615).

California

Campanelli played a significant role in Pac-10 men's basketball, having served as head basketball coach at California for eight years, from 1985 to 1993. He compiled a record of 123–108 (.532) and led the Bears to post-season play on four occasions. In his first season, he led Cal to the

1986 National Invitation Tournament The 1986 National Invitation Tournament was the 1986 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Selected teams Below is a list of the 32 teams selected for the tournament.

, the school's first postseason bid of any kind since 1960. In 1990, he led the Bears to their first NCAA Tournament in 30 years. Campanelli was abruptly fired on February 8, 1993 with ten games to go in the 1992–93 season. Athletic director

Bob Bockrath Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States * Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Bob (surnam ...

inadvertently heard Campanelli give profanity-laced lectures to his players following losses to

Arizona State Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

and

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 ...

. Several players, including freshman

Jason Kidd Jason Frederick Kidd (born March 23, 1973) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as one of the greatest point guards ...

, had complained to Bockrath about his abrasive coaching style, but Bockrath said he had no idea just how "beaten down" the players had been until then.

Later career

After his college coaching career, Campanelli also coached one year in the Japan Pro League, spent several years as an advance scout for the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets, and served as Commissioner of Pac 10 Officiating. Campenelli coached the

junior varsity Junior varsity (often called "JV") players are the members of a team who are not the main players in a competition (such as any football, basketball, or baseball game), usually at the high school level–– and formerly at the collegiate level� ...

basketball team at

Campolindo High School Campolindo High School is a public high school located in Moraga, California, United States, and is in the Acalanes Union High School District. In 2019, Campolindo was ranked 30th in California (and 239th nationally) by '' U.S. News & World Rep ...

Moraga, California Moraga is a town in Contra Costa County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The town is named in honor of Joaquín Moraga, member of the famed Californio family. As of 2020, Moraga had a total population of 16,870 people. Moraga is ...

, starting as a volunteer assistant.

Personal life and death

Campanelli grew up in Springfield, New Jersey. He graduated from

, where he also earned his master's degree. He resided in

Livermore, California Livermore (formerly Livermorès, Livermore Ranch, and Nottingham) is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of Californ ...

. Campanelli died on January 31, 2023, at the age of 84.JMU Athletics Mourns Passing of Hall of Fame Basketball Coach Lou Campanelli
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Book

In 2015, Campanelli wrote a book titled ''Dare to Dream: How James Madison University Became Coed and Shocked the Basketball World'', about his dream of becoming a college basketball coach and his accomplishment of growing the all-girl Madison college athletics program into a successful men's NCAA basketball team.

Head coaching record

*Campanelli was fired in February 1993; California credits the first 17 games of the regular season to Campanelli.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Campanelli, Lou 1938 births 2023 deaths Basketball coaches from California Basketball coaches from New Jersey California Golden Bears men's basketball coaches James Madison Dukes men's basketball coaches Montclair State University alumni People from Livermore, California People from Springfield Township, Union County, New Jersey Sportspeople from Union County, New Jersey