Bucky Buckwalter
NCAA Assistant Coach | ABA & NBA Head Coach | NBA Executive
Morris “Bucky” Buckwalter was born on November 22, 1933. Buckwalter played basketball at La Grande High School and later college basketball for the Utah Utes, where they advanced to the quarterfinals of the 1956 NCAA basketball tournament before losing to the eventual champions, the Bill Russell-led San Francisco Dons.
After coaching for 21 seasons, he served as a scout and later vice president of Basketball Operations for the Portland Trail Blazers. In 1991, he won the NBA Executive of the Year Award. In 1997, he retired from basketball.
In 2011, Buckwalter was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame.
- Overall Coaching Record: 115-110
- NCAA: 78–54
- NBA: 13-24
- ABA: 24-32
Coaching Career
Bucky Buckwalter started his coaching career as an assistant coach for the Utah Utes men’s basketball team under Jack Gardner.
Notable Players Coached
- Billy McGill (1962 NBA Draft: 1st round, 1st overall pick)
- No. 12 retired by Utah Utes
- Jerry Chambers (NBA 1966 Draft: 1st round, 7th overall pick)
- DeWitt Menyard (Future 1968 ABA All-Star)
Coaching Career
Coach Buckwalter succeeded Lionel Purcell as the head coach of the Seattle Redhawks men’s basketball team of Seattle University. In his first season, the team finished with a 14-13 record. The following season, the Redhawks finished with a 20-8 record and reached the NCAA University Division first round.
In his 5 seasons with the Redhawks, he had an overall coaching record of 78–54.
Coach Buckwalter became an assistant coach under Tom Nissalke. After a 13–32 start, Nissalke was fired and Buckwalter was named the interim head coach. The team finished with a 26–56 record, missing the playoffs.
Notable Players Coached
- Spencer Haywood
- 1980 NBA champion
- 1970 ABA Most Valuable Player
- 4× NBA All-Star (1972–1975)
- 1970 ABA All-Star
- 1970 ABA All-Star Game MVP
- 2× All-NBA First Team (1972, 1973)
- All-ABA First Team
- 1970 ABA Rookie of the Year
- 1970 ABA All-Rookie First Team
- 1970 ABA scoring champion
- 1970 ABA rebounding leader
- ABA All-Time Team
- No. 24 retired by Seattle SuperSonics
- Fred Brown
- 1979 NBA champion
- 1976 NBA All-Star
- No. 32 retired by Seattle SuperSonics
- Butch Beard
- 1975 NBA champion
- 1972 NBA All-Star
- John Brisker
- 2× ABA All-Star (1971, 1972)
- 1971 All-ABA Second Team
- 1970 ABA All-Rookie First Team
Coach Buckwalter succeeded Joe Mullaney to become the head coach of the Utah Stars of the American Basketball Association (ABA). After a 24-32 start, Buckwalter was fired and replaced by Tom Nissalke, his former Seattle SuperSonics head coach.
Buckwalter was notably known for signing center Moses Malone straight out of high school.
Notable Players Coached
- Moses Malone
- 1983 NBA champion
- 1983 NBA Finals MVP
- 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1979, 1982, 1983)
- 12× NBA All-Star (1978–1989)
- 1975 ABA All-Star
- 4× All-NBA First Team (1979, 1982, 1983, 1985)
- 4× All-NBA Second Team (1980, 1981, 1984, 1987)
- 1983 NBA All-Defensive First Team
- 1979 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- 1975 ABA All-Rookie Team
- 6× NBA rebounding leader (1979, 1981–1985)
- 50th & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
- ABA All-Time Team
- No. 2 retired by Philadelphia 76ers
- No. 24 retired by Houston Rockets
- Ron Boone
- 1971 ABA champion
- 4× ABA All-Star (1971, 1974–1976)
- 1969 ABA All-Rookie First Team
- 1974 All-ABA First Team
- 1975 All-ABA Second Team
- ABA All-Time Team
- Roger Brown
- 3× ABA champion (1970, 1972, 1973)
- 1970 ABA Playoffs MVP
- 4× ABA All-Star (1968, 1970–1972)
- All-ABA First Team (1971)
- 2× All-ABA Second Team (1968, 1970)
- ABA All-Time Team (1997)
- No. 35 retired by Indiana Pacers
- Jim Eakins
- 2× ABA champion (1969, 1976)
- 1974 ABA All-Star
- Al Smith (1974 ABA Assists Leader)
Coach Buckwalter became an assistant coach under Jack Ramsay for the Portland Trail Blazers. In his 7 seasons with the team as an assistant coach, the Trail Blazers reached the playoffs 6 out of the 7 seasons, including 2 conference semifinals appearances.
His fellow assistants during his tenure were Jim Lynam and Rick Adelman.
Notable Players Coached
- Clyde Drexler
- 1995 NBA champion
- 10× NBA All-Star (1986, 1988–1994, 1996, 1997)
- 1992 All-NBA First Team
- 2× All-NBA Second Team (1988, 1991)
- 2× All-NBA Third Team (1990, 1995)
- 50th & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
- No. 22 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- No. 22 retired by Houston Rockets
- Maurice Lucas
- 1977 NBA champion
- 4× NBA All-Star (1977–1979, 1983)
- 1976 ABA All-Star
- 1978 All-NBA Second Team
- 1978 NBA All-Defensive First Team
- 1979 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- ABA All-Time Team
- No. 20 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- Lionel Hollins
- 1977 NBA champion
- 1978 NBA All-Star
- 1978 NBA All-Defensive First Team
- 1979 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- 1976 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- No. 14 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- Jim Paxson
- 2× NBA All-Star (1983, 1984)
- 1984 All-NBA Second Team
- Fat Lever
- 2× NBA All-Star (1988, 1990)
- 1987 All-NBA Second Team
- 1988 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- No. 12 retired by Denver Nuggets
- Terry Porter
- 2× NBA All-Star (1991, 1993)
- No. 30 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- Kiki VanDeWeghe (2× NBA All-Star (1983, 1984)
- Caldwell Jones
- 1975 ABA All-Star
- 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1981, 1982)
- 2× ABA blocks leader (1974, 1975)
- Kermit Washington
- 1980 NBA All-Star
- 2× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1980, 1981)
- Bob Gross
- 1977 NBA champion
- 1978 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- No. 30 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- Dave Twardzik
- 1977 NBA champion
- 1975 ABA All-Star
- No. 13 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- Larry Steele
- 1977 NBA champion
- 1974 NBA steals leader
- No. 15 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- Lloyd Neal
- 1977 NBA champion
- 1973 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- No. 36 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- Calvin Natt
- 1985 NBA All-Star
- 1980 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- Mike Gale
- 1974 ABA champion
- 2× ABA All-Defensive First Team (1973, 1974)
- Mychal Thompson
- 2× NBA champion (1987, 1988)
- 1979 NBA All-Rookie First Team