University of Massachusets Athletics
Leaman Named To New England Hall Of Fame
July 17, 2003 | Men's Basketball
July 17, 2003
KINGSTON, R.I. - Former University of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Jack Leaman has been selected for induction to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Leaman will be joined in the Class of 2003 by former Minutemen Doug Grutchfield and Rick Pitino. Grutchfield was selected for his accomplishments as basketball coach at Fitchburg High School, while Pitino is being honored for his coaching career at Providence College and Boston University. Last year, former UMass star Julius Erving was inducted into the Hall of Fame, in its innaugural class.
Leaman compiled a career record of 217-126 in 13 seasons at UMass, from 1966-1979. The all-time winnings coach in school history, Leaman guided UMass to eight Yankee Conference titles in nine season (1968-1971, 1973-1976) and six NIT appearances (1970-1971. 1973-1975, 1977). A two-time New England Coach of the Year, Leaman coached 22 All-Yankee Conference selections during his tenure at UMass. He also served as UMass' head women's basketball coach in 1986-1987, leading the team to a 14-12 record, the only winning mark from 1980-1995. After finishing his head-coaching career, Leaman served as the Athletic Director of the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, as well as the Stockbridge men's basketball and golf coach. He has also served as a color analyst for UMass men's basketball games during the last nine seasons. Leaman was inducted into the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
Grutchfield was a three-year letterman at UMass, and set 13 school records during his career from 1959-1961. He tallied a then-school record 1,257 points in just 74 games, a figure that currently ranks as the 15th-best mark in school history. Grutchfield earned second team All-Yankee Conference honors as a sophomore in 1958-1959, then earned unanimous first team recognition in his final two seasons while also being named first team All-ECAC. Following his graduation, Grutchfield began his coaching career at Amherst Regional High School, where he won the first of his 21 career conference championships in 1963-1964. He next coached at Belmont High School, beforing moving on to Fitchburg High School in 1970. He won a total of 588 games at Amherst, Belmont and Fitchburg, with 21 league titles and seven district championships. Also the athletic director at Fitchburg, Grutchfield was named the 1994 National High School Athletic Director of the Year. In addition, he was inducted into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999 and the UMass Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.
Pitino earned two letters at UMass in 1973 and 1974, leading the team in assists during both his junior (129) and senior seasons (168). He ranks eighth all-time at UMass in assists with 329, while his 168 assists in 1973-1974 rank sixth on the single season list. Pitino began his collegiate coaching career at Boston University, posting a 91 51 record in five seasons from 1978-1983. After serving as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks for two years, he then took over as head coach at Providence, leading the team to a 25-9 record and a trip to the NCAA Final Four in only his second season. Pitino then served as the Knicks head coach for two seasons, before spending the next eight years at Kentucky, going 219-50 with six NCAA Tournament appearances, winning the title in 1996. He then coached the Boston Celtics for four years, and is currently entering his third season as head coach at Louisville, where he has gone 44-20.
Induction ceremonies for the New England Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2003 will be held on September 19 at the Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. For more information, visit the New England Basketball Hall of Fame web site at http://www.internationalsport.com/basketball.