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

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

and the father of head coach

Dan Monson Daniel Lloyd Monson (born October 6, 1961) is an American college basketball coach who is currently the head coach at Eastern Washington. He was previously the head coach at Long Beach State for 17 seasons. He was also the head coach at Minnes ...

. He was a high school

for 18 seasons and college

for 14 seasons: five at

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

and nine at

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. 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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, coaching the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers 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 the state's capital of Adela ...

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 ...

, 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 North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating ...

. 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, the oldest secondary school (founded 1903), with its current building at 5530 North Fourth Street built in 1968-1969. It is one of the two traditional hig ...

, 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 the largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, containing the city's airport. It is the principal city of the Pocatello metro ...

. 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, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where he lettered 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 Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

, 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 H ...

, 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 most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south ...

, 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 2 – 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 18 – Full diplomatic ...

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 Montana Grizzlies basketball, University of Montana and nineteen ...

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

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

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

; he was previously an assistant at

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George 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 to the Spartans in

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, 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 (no ...

. 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, Michigan, Ingham County, although a small portion extends north into Clinton County, Michigan, Clinton County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

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 or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

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 Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

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

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

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.

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 landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

, and

Gonzaga Gonzaga may refer to: Places *Gonzaga, Lombardy, commune in the province of Mantua, Italy *Gonzaga, Cagayan, municipality in the Philippines *Gonzaga, Minas Gerais, town in Brazil *Forte Gonzaga, fort in Messina, Sicily Surname *House of Gonza ...

). 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 Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, the #10 seed, in

El Paso El Paso (; ; or ) is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States. The 2020 United States census, 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the List of ...

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

(for a third straight year) and all four

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the Western United States. It participates at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level for all sports, and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl ...

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— ...

. Idaho won the eight-team Far West Classic in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

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, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State be ...

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees through all 11 of the universit ...

, 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 ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Missoula County, Montana, Missoula County, Montana, United States. It is located along the Clark Fork River near its confluence with the Bitterroot River, Bitterroot and Blackfoot River (Montana), ...

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

South Bend South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

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 composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

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 t ...

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 the Cougars men's and women's basketball teams of the Pac-12 Confe ...

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

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

of the

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

, 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 a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...

.
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 Sr. (born August 5, 1962) is a Jamaican-American basketball coach and former professional player who is a basketball ambassador for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA), where he played most o ...

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

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

.) 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 former Welsh rugby union player who played 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 Re ...

() and

Brian Kellerman Brian Kellerman (born c. 1961) 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 a ...

() in the backcourt, with forwards Phil Hopson and

Gordie Herbert Gordon Walter Herbert (born February 16, 1959) is a Canadian and Finnish professional basketball coach and former player. Herbert is currently serving as the head coach of Canada national team and Bayern Munich in the Basketball Bundesliga and ...

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 a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

''
(team photo)
The

alley-oop In basketball, an alley-oop is an offensive play in which one player passes 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 t ...

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 film photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated i ...

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 is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

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

, 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 great point guards of all time, he spent his entire NBA career (1984–2003) with the Utah Jazz, and the team made the pla ...

. 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. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...

to regular season champion

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

, 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 geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of North Central Idaho, north central Idaho, southeastern Washington (part of eastern Washington), and by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. ...

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, ...

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 Cove ...

(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 (FBS). Sponsored by the National Collegiate A ...

football team in the multi-purpose

Kibbie Dome The P1FCU Kibbie Dome, known simply as the Kibbie Dome and formerly named the Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center, is a multi-purpose indoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. It is the home of the Idaho Van ...

, 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 is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

head coach in northern

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. 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 Timothy Fitzpatrick 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. ...

. 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 Southe ...

, advancing to the NCAA tournament in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

and

1983 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 TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

. 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 landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, 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 (AAF) league. He was also the head coach at the University of ...

) was on the road battling eventual champion

Eastern Kentucky Eastern or Easterns may refer to: Transportation Airlines *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 192 ...

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 an American former basketball player. He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with four teams, amassing career totals of 7,492 points, 2,456 assist (basketball), assists a ...

, 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, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

. 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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

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 university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

Ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family (biology), family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and goose, geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfam ...

Eugene Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Gene Eugene, stage name of Canadian born actor, record producer, engineer, composer and musi ...

. 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 U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

after the 1997 season. Green was succeeded by

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

. 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, Idaho. The Vandals compete at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Idaho Vandals football, footbal ...

, 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,

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 (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 no official boundary exists, the most common ...

Marv Harshman Marvel Keith Harshman (October 4, 1917 – April 12, 2013) was an American college basketball coach. He served as a head coach for 41 years in the state of Washington at Pacific Lutheran University, Washington State University, and the Universit ...

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. The Magic were established i ...

. Although the 36ers had improved on their

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

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 Southeas ...

, 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, United States. It was founded in 1959 and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, but is nonsectarian. It o ...

head coach

Mike Dunlap Michael Gregory Dunlap (born May 27, 1957) is an American professional basketball coach who is the head coach for the Colorado Mesa Mavericks men's basketball team. He is the former head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte ...

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 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

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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 Sportspeople from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho People from Menahga, Minnesota Sportspeople from Moscow, Idaho Sportspeople from Cheney, Washington Forwards (basketball) Guards (basketball) 20th-century American sportsmen