Ed Badger
1981 Metro Coach of the Year | 1985 NBA Champion as an Asst. Coach | NCAA & NBA Head Coach
Ed Badger was born on November 5, 1932, in West New York, New Jersey. As a high school standout, Badger played for the Iowa Hawkeyes Basketball team.
In 1970, Coach Badger was an assistant at the World University Games and in 1972, coached the Austrian national team, which did not qualify for the Munich Olympics. Ed was named head coach of the US team that competed in the 1973 World University Games, in Moscow. His star player was 19-year-old David Thompson, a future All-Star in both the NBA and American Basketball Association The team went 21–0 that summer and won the gold medal. Ed also coached teams of college players that played friendly exhibitions and held clinics in Eastern Europe during the Cold War
In 1988 Badger became vice president of basketball operations for the new expansion team Charlotte Hornets, where he stayed until 1990. He joined the Atlanta Hawks as director of scouting from 1990 to 1992 before going back to coaching in 1992.
Badger was also the Chief Scout for the Minnesosta Timberwolves. After the 2002-2003 season, Badger retired full-time but took on special assignments on occasion.
- Overall Coaching Record: 148-151
- NCAA: 68–71
- NBA: 84-80
Coaching Career
Coach Badger became the head coach of the Wilbur Wright College basketball team, the rams. During Ed’s 15 seasons coaching the Rams, they won 25 or more games every season. In 1974 and again in 1975, the Rams were undefeated and ranked #1 among the nation’s junior colleges.
Coach Badger became an assistant coach under Dick Motta in a part-time position until fully joining the staff in 1975.
Notable Players Coached
- Chet Walker
- 1967 NBA champion
- 7× NBA All-Star (1964, 1966, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1963)
- Bob Love
- 3× NBA All-Star (1971–1973)
- 2× All-NBA Second Team (1971, 1972)
- 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1972–1974)
- No. 10 retired by Chicago Bulls
- Jerry Sloan (2x All Star & Future NBA Top 15 Head Coaches of all Time)
- Norm Van Lier
- 3× NBA All-Star (1974, 1976, 1977)
- 1974 All-NBA Second Team
- 3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1974, 1976, 1977)
- 5× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1971–1973, 1975, 1978)
- 1971 NBA assists leader
- Jack Marin
- 2× NBA All-Star (1972, 1973)
- 1967 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- Clifford Ray
- 1975 NBA champion
- 1972 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- Bob Weiss (Future 1978 NBA Champion with Washington under Motta)
- Rick Adelman (Future NBA Head Coach & 2023 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient)
- Mickey Johnson (Known as “Rubberman” for his ability to stretch and grab rebounds and block shots, despite his slender frame)
After 3 seasons as an assistant coach under Dick Motta, Badger succeeded him as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, making him the 3rd head coach in Bulls history. In his first season, the team finished with a 44–38 record, qualifying for the playoffs. They were eliminated in the first round in 3 games (2-1) by the Portland Trail Blazers, who later went on to become the 1977 NBA champions.
The following season, The Bulls finished with a 40–42 record, 8th place in the Western Conference but did not qualify for the playoffs. In his two seasons with the team, he had an overall coaching record of 84-80.
His assistant coaches consisted of Bumper Tormohlen and Jerry Sloan.
Notable Players Coached
- Artis Gilmore
- 1975 ABA champion
- 1975 ABA Playoffs Most Valuable Player
- 1972 ABA Most Valuable Player
- 6× NBA All-Star (1978, 1979, 1981–1983, 1986)
- 5× ABA All-Star (1972–1976)
- 1974 ABA All-Star Game MVP
- 5× All-ABA First Team (1972–1976)
- 4× ABA All-Defensive First Team (1973–1976)
- 1972 ABA Rookie of the Year
- 4× ABA rebounding champion (1972–1974, 1976)
- Norm Van Lier
- 3× NBA All-Star (1974, 1976, 1977)
- 1974 All-NBA Second Team
- 3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1974, 1976, 1977)
- 5× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1971–1973, 1975, 1978)
- 1971 NBA assists leader
- Jack Marin
- 2× NBA All-Star (1972, 1973)
- NBA All-Rookie First Team (1967)
Coach Badger became the head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats men’s basketball team. He was Metro Conference coach of the year in 1981.
One of the most notable games played under Badger was on December 21, 1981, when the Bearcats defeated Bradley 75–73 in a game that went into seven overtime periods.
In 5 seasons with the program, Badger had an overall coaching record of 68–71.
Notable Players Coached
- Pat Cummings (Selected with the 59th overall pick in the 3rd round of the 1978 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks)
- Mike Williams (Selected with the 51st overall pick in the 3rd round of the 1986 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors)
Coach Badger became an assistant coach under Tom Nissalke for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his first and only season, the team finished with a 28–54 record.
Notable Players Coached
- World B. Free
- 1980 NBA All-Star
- 1979 All-NBA Second Team
- Lonnie Shelton
- 1979 NBA champion
- 1982 NBA All-Star
- 1982 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- Geoff Crompton
- 1984 CBA Most Valuable Player
- 1984 All-CBA First Team
- 1983 All-CBA Second Team
- 1984 CBA All-Defensive Second Team
- 1985 CBA rebounding leader
- Phil Hubbard (Future NBA coach)
Coach Badger joined the Boston Celtics coaching staff as an assistant coach and director of scouting under K.C. Jones. In his first season as an assistant coach, the Celtics finished with a 63–19 record, 1st in the Eastern Conference, and made a deep playoff run to the 1985 NBA finals where they lost in 6 games (4-2) to Pat Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The following season, the Boston Celtics finished with a 67–15 record, 1st place in the Eastern Conference, making another deep playoff run to the 1986 NBA finals, defeating the Houston Rockets in 6 games (4-2) to win the championship.
After the 1996-1987 season, the Celtics finished with a 59–23 record, making their 3rd straight finals appearance in the 1987 Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games (4-2). In Badger’s last season as an assistant in 1988, the Celtics finished with a 57–25 record, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, but were eliminated in 6 games (4-2) against Chuck Daly and the Detroit Pistons.
Notable Players Coached
- Larry Bird
- 3× NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986)
- 2× NBA Finals MVP (1984, 1986)
- 3× NBA Most Valuable Player (1984–1986)
- 12× NBA All-Star (1980–1988, 1990–1992)
- 1982 NBA All-Star Game MVP
- 9× All-NBA First Team (1980–1988)
- 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1982–1984)
- 1980 NBA Rookie of the Year (1980)
- 3× NBA Three-Point Contest champion (1986–1988)
- 1986 AP Athlete of the Year
- 50th & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
- No. 33 retired by Boston Celtics
- Kevin McHale
- 3× NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986)
- 7× NBA All-Star (1984, 1986–1991)
- 1987 All-NBA First Team
- 3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1986–1988)
- 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1983, 1989, 1990)
- 2× NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1984, 1985)
- 1981 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 50th & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
- No. 32 retired by Boston Celtics
- Robert Parish
- 4× NBA champion (1981, 1984, 1986, 1997)
- 9× NBA All-Star (1981–1987, 1990, 1991)
- 1982 All-NBA Second Team
- 1989 All-NBA Third Team
- 50th & 75th NBA anniversary team selections
- No. 00 retired by Boston Celtics
- Dennis Johnson
- 3× NBA champion (1979, 1984, 1986)
- 1979 NBA Finals MVP
- 5× NBA All-Star (1979–1982, 1985)
- 1981 All-NBA First Team
- 1980 All-NBA Second Team
- 6× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1979–1983, 1987)
- 3× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1984–1986)
- No. 3 retired by Boston Celtics
- Bill Walton
- 2× NBA champion (1977, 1986)
- 1977 NBA Finals MVP
- 1978 NBA Most Valuable Player
- 2× NBA All-Star (1977, 1978)
- 1978 All-NBA First Team
- 1977 All-NBA Second Team
- 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1977, 1978)
- 1986 NBA Sixth Man of the Year
- 1977 NBA rebounding leader
- 1977 NBA blocks leader
- No. 32 retired by Portland Trail Blazers
- NBA anniversary team (50th, 75th)
- Danny Ainge
- 2× NBA champion (1984, 1986)
- 1988 NBA All-Star
- Future NBA Coach & Executive
- Cedric Maxwell
- 2× NBA champion (1981, 1984)
- 1981 NBA Finals MVP
- No. 31 retired by Boston Celtics
- M.L. Carr
- 2× NBA champion (1981, 1984)
- 1979 NBA All-Defensive Second Team
- 1976 ABA All-Rookie First Team
- 1979 NBA steals leader
- Quinn Buckner
- 1984 NBA champion
- 4× NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1978, 1980–1982)
- Future NBA Head Coach
- Rick Carlisle (Future NBA Head Coach & 2011 NBA champion as Head Coach)
Coach Badger became an assistant coach under Bob Hill for the Indiana Pacers. In his first and only season with the Pacers, they finished with a 41–41 record, qualifying for the playoffs, but lost in the first round to Pat Riley and the New York Knicks in 4 games (3-1).
Notable Players Coached
- Reggie Miller
- 5× NBA All-Star (1990, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2000)
- 3× All-NBA Third Team (1995, 1996, 1998)
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team selection
- No. 31 retired by Indiana Pacers
- Detlef Schrempf
- 3× NBA All-Star (1993, 1995, 1997)
- 1995 All-NBA Third Team
- 2× NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1991, 1992)
- Rik Smits
- 1998 NBA All-Star
- 1989 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- Dale Davis (2000 NBA All-Star)
- Sam Mitchell (Future 2007 Coach of the Year)
- Malik Sealy (No. 2 retired by Minnesota Timberwolves)
Coach Badger became an assistant coach under Kevin Loughery and was later retained by Pat Riley. In his first season as an assistant coach, the team finished with a 32–50, missing the playoffs.
The following season, the Miami Heat finished with a 42–40 record, qualifying for the playoffs, but lost to Phil Jackson and the Chicago Bulls in 3 games (3-0).
Amongst his fellow assistant coaches were Jeff Bzdelik, Tony Fiorentino, Bob McAdoo, Scotty Robertson, and Stan Van Gundy.
Notable Players Coached
- Alonzo Mourning
- 2006 NBA champion (2006)
- 7× NBA All-Star (1994–1997, 2000–2002)
- 1999 All-NBA First Team
- 2000 All-NBA Second Team
- 2× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (1999, 2000)
- 2× NBA All-Defensive First Team (1999, 2000)
- 2× NBA blocks leader (1999, 2000)
- 1993 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- No. 33 retired by Miami Heat
- Tim Hardaway
- 5× NBA All-Star (1991–1993, 1997, 1998)
- 1997 All-NBA First Team
- 3× All-NBA Second Team (1992, 1998, 1999)
- 1993 All-NBA Third Team
- 1990 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- No. 10 retired by Miami Heat
- 2006 ABA All Star
- Jeff Malone
- 2× NBA All-Star (1986, 1987)
- 1984 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- Glen Rice
- 2000 NBA champion
- 3× NBA All-Star (1996–1998)
- 1997 NBA All-Star Game MVP
- 1997 All-NBA Second Team
- 1998 All-NBA Third Team
- 1990 NBA All-Rookie Second Team
- 1995 NBA Three-Point Contest champion
- Harold Miner (2× NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion (1993, 1995)
- John Salley (4× NBA champion (1989, 1990, 1996, 2000)
- Keith Askins (Future 3× NBA champion (2006, 2012, 2013) as assistant coach)
- Kevin Pritchard (Future NBA Coach & Indiana Pacers President)
Coach Badger became an assistant coach under Johnny Davis for the Philadelphia 76ers. In his first and only season with the team, the 76ers finished with a 22–60 record, missing the playoffs. This was Coach Badger’s last coaching position before he finished his career as a scour for various NBA teams until his retirement in 2003.
Notable Players Coached
- Allen Iverson
- 2001 NBA Most Valuable Player
- 11× NBA All-Star (2000–2010)
- 2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2001, 2005)
- 3× All-NBA First Team (1999, 2001, 2005)
- 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year
- 1997 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 4× NBA scoring champion (1999, 2001, 2002, 2005)
- 3× NBA steals leader (2001–2003)
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team selection
- No. 3 retired by Philadelphia 76ers
- Derrick Coleman
- 1994 NBA All-Star
- 2× All-NBA Third Team (1993, 1994)
- 1991 NBA Rookie of the Year
- 1991 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- Jerry Stackhouse
- Future 2× NBA All-Star (2000, 2001)
- 1996 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- Michael Cage
- 1988 NBA rebounding leader