Paul Seymour
Syracuse Nationals Head Coach | St. Louis Hawks Head Coach | NBA Coach
Paul Seymour was born on January 30, 1928, in Toledo, Ohio. He played college basketball at the University of Toledo before beginning a professional career that included the Baltimore Bullets and Syracuse Nationals.
Seymour won the 1955 NBA championship as a player with Syracuse and became the Nationals' head coach the following season. He later coached the St. Louis Hawks, Baltimore Bullets, and Detroit Pistons.
He finished his NBA head-coaching career with a 271-241 regular-season record and a 14-21 playoff record.
Coach Seymour passed away on May 5, 1998, at the age of 70.
- Overall Coaching Record: 271-241
Coaching Career
Seymour became head coach of the Syracuse Nationals during the 1956-1957 season after spending most of his playing career with the franchise.
Syracuse made the playoffs in all four seasons under Seymour. His best regular season came in 1959-1960, when the Nationals went 45-30.
Seymour resigned in March 1960 and finished his Syracuse head-coaching tenure with a 155-124 record.
Notable Players Coached
- Dolph Schayes
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1955 NBA champion
- 12× NBA All-Star
- Johnny Kerr
- 1955 NBA champion
- 3× NBA All-Star
- Larry Costello
- 6× NBA All-Star
- 1967 NBA champion
Seymour was hired as head coach of the St. Louis Hawks before the 1960-1961 season.
The Hawks went 51-28 and reached the 1961 NBA Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics.
Seymour returned the next season but was fired after a 5-9 start. He finished his St. Louis tenure with a 56-37 record.
Notable Players Coached
- Bob Pettit
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 2× NBA MVP
- 11× NBA All-Star
- Cliff Hagan
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 1958 NBA champion
- 5× NBA All-Star
- Lenny Wilkens
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 9× NBA All-Star as a player
Seymour returned to NBA head coaching with the Baltimore Bullets for the 1965-1966 season.
Baltimore finished 38-42 and reached the playoffs but was swept by the St. Louis Hawks in the Western Division Semifinals.
Seymour resigned after the season.
Notable Players Coached
- Gus Johnson
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 5× NBA All-Star
- Bailey Howell
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 2× NBA champion
- 6× NBA All-Star
- Don Ohl
- 5× NBA All-Star
Seymour joined the Detroit Pistons as an assistant coach and later took over as head coach during the 1968-1969 season.
He coached 60 games as Detroit's head coach and went 22-38.
The Pistons stint became Seymour's final NBA head-coaching job.
Notable Players Coached
- Dave Bing
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
- 7× NBA All-Star
- Jimmy Walker
- 2× NBA All-Star