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Pete Newell, who led the Bears to their only hoops title in 1959, passed away today at the age of 93.

Some could argue that 1959 might have been the best year of Cal athletics. Newell and Cal made it to the finals in '60 before losing to Ohio St. Ohio St.'s coach (Fred Taylor) used a defense Newell had willingly taught him a year earlier

Mr. Newell had one more coaching stop, however. He led the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team, which included West, Robertson and Lucas, to a 1960 gold medal.

That completed a "Triple Crown" only two other coaches have achieved - NIT, NCAA and Olympic titles.

He also coached the '60 Olympic team to the gold medal, completing the coaching triple crown with an NIT (USF), national championship (Cal), and an Olympic gold medal.

The Bay Area honors Newell with the "Pete Newell Challenge," a tournament held annually in late December.

Newell stopped coaching at the age of 44, citing stress-related health concerns as his primary reason.

Miraculously, he continued coaching top amateur and professional bigs in his Big Man's camps. Along the way he elicited glowing comments like this from Shaquille O'Neal: "He's the best teacher there is."

about 1 year ago Trebek_tiny carp 14 comments 2 recs  | 

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'59 National Champs

The Maharg makes me look like an idiot.

by carp on Nov 17, 2008 2:48 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Am i dyslexic

or is the lettering backwards on the player’s warm-up (look just above the girl’s pom-pom)?

by Montezuma's Revenge on Nov 17, 2008 5:51 PM PST up reply actions   0 recs

I haz a sad

Wow, this is a buzzkill.

Perhaps the one most telling thing about how influentual and how good a coach Pete Newell was is the fact that John Wooden once remarked that he thought Newell was the best coach in the game.

RIP Pete.

Go Bears!

by SoCal Oski on Nov 17, 2008 2:57 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

thanks TnH!

more videos on Newell:

Intro:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDd5gDsz9Pg&feature=related

’60 Olympic team:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQZ1bmc8x5I

The Maharg makes me look like an idiot.

by carp on Nov 17, 2008 2:57 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Bobby Knight:

“Newell was the best there ever was.”

The Maharg makes me look like an idiot.

by carp on Nov 17, 2008 3:01 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Bruce Jenkins also has a piece on Newell:
I sat across from John Wooden at his San Fernando Valley apartment in the summer of 1990, delivering questions about the man he could not beat. An eternity had passed, more than 30 years, but the legendary Wooden was squirming just a little. Such was the impact of Pete Newell on his legacy and his psyche.

link.

The Maharg makes me look like an idiot.

by carp on Nov 17, 2008 3:28 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Rest in Peace Coach Newell.

This is a sad day for basketball and the University of California. Coach Newell was the consummate teacher. I sincerely hope Coach Newell is honored at this week’s Big Game.

by BeastMode on Nov 17, 2008 3:50 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Men's hoops tomorrow vs. USF

could be a great tribute to Newell.

by Montezuma's Revenge on Nov 17, 2008 4:11 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

sad day for both USF and Cal. Should be a great game tommorow though.

by i wish we were good on Nov 17, 2008 8:07 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

Tim Kawakami
I think I spoke to Newell two or three times when I used to cover college basketball–he was always the nicest guy imaginable and always knew everything about every technical aspect and every team and every coach you could bring up, college or pro.

I’ve talked with his sons here and there over the years–everybody I’ve known in the Newell family is smart and funny and incredibly in-tune with the entire basketball scene.

When I talk to any part of the Newell family, it’s like tapping into the Basketball Universe main-frame. It’s that intense.

And now that Pete is gone… it feels like the mainframe has been turned off, gone quiet. It’ll get turned on again soon–the hoops will always continue–but for now, it’s hard to imagine basketball without Pete Newell around to see it, analyze it and make it better.

The Maharg makes me look like an idiot.

by carp on Nov 17, 2008 9:39 PM PST reply actions   0 recs

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