Boyd Grant
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 17, 1933 Idaho, U.S. |
| Died | August 17, 2020 (aged 87) Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1954–1955 | Snow College |
| 1955–1957 | Colorado State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1959–1961 | Mountain View HS |
| 1961–1972 | Colorado State (assistant) |
| 1972–1974 | Kentucky (assistant) |
| 1974–1977 | College of Southern Idaho |
| 1977–1986 | Fresno State |
| 1987–1991 | Colorado State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 368–126 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NJCAA National Championship (1976) NIT (1983) 3 SWAC regular season (1975–1977) 3 PCAA regular season (1978, 1981, 1982) 3 PCAA tournament (1981, 1982, 1984) 2 WAC regular season (1989, 1990) | |
| Awards | |
| 3× PCAA Coach of the Year (1978, 1981, 1982) | |
John Boyd "Tiny" Grant (August 17, 1933 – August 17, 2020) was an American college basketball coach for Fresno State and Colorado State.
Hailing from American Falls, Idaho, Grant played junior college basketball at Snow College in Utah for Jim Williams, then followed Williams when he became head coach at Colorado State (CSU). Following his graduation, Grant became coach of Mountain View High School in Wyoming before rejoining Williams at CSU as an assistant in 1961.[1] Grant spent 12 seasons there before moving to Joe B. Hall's staff at Kentucky for two years. He was hired as head coach of the NJCAA's College of Southern Idaho (CSI) in 1974.[2]
Grant proved highly successful in three seasons at CSI. His teams compiled a record of 93–6, won 49 consecutive games and won the 1976 NJCAA national championship (after playing in the final the previous year). His success landed him his first NCAA Division I job in 1977 as Fresno State hired him to replace Ed Gregory.[3][4] Grant coached Fresno State for nine seasons, compiling a record of 194–74 and guiding the Bulldogs to three NCAA tournament appearances and the 1983 National Invitation Tournament title. He resigned following the 1985–86 season.[5]
Grant returned to coaching in 1987 as head coach at his alma mater, Colorado State. He coached for four seasons, compiling an 81–46 record and NCAA Tournament appearances in 1989 and 1990. Grant retired from coaching in 1991.[6][7]
Grant died on August 17, 2020, after suffering a stroke two days before.[8]
Head coaching record
[edit]NJCAA
[edit]| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Southern Idaho (SWAC) (1974–1977) | |||||||||
| 1974–75 | College of Idaho | 27–3 | – | NJCAA Runner up | |||||
| 1975–76 | College of Idaho | 34–1 | – | NJCAA Championship | |||||
| 1976–77 | College of Idaho | 32–2 | – | NJCAA Participant | |||||
| College of Southern Idaho: | 93–6 (.939) | – (–) | |||||||
| Total: | 93–6 (.939) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
NCAA
[edit]| Season | Coach | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno State (Pacific Coast Athletic Association) (1977–1986) | |||||||||
| 1977–78 | Fresno State | 21–6 | 11–3 | T–1st | |||||
| 1978–79 | Fresno State | 16–12 | 9–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1979–80 | Fresno State | 17–7 | 8–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1980–81 | Fresno State | 25–4 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1981–82 | Fresno State | 27–3 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I Sweet Sixteen | ||||
| 1982–83 | Fresno State | 25–10 | 9–7 | 4th | NIT champions | ||||
| 1983–84 | Fresno State | 25–8 | 13–5 | 3rd | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1984–85 | Fresno State | 23–9 | 15–3 | 2nd | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1985–86 | Fresno State | 15–15 | 8–10 | 6th | |||||
| Fresno State: | 194–74 (.724) | 98–40 (.710) | |||||||
| Colorado State (Western Athletic Conference) (1987–1991) | |||||||||
| 1987–88 | Colorado State | 22–13 | 8–8 | T–5th | NIT Final Four | ||||
| 1988–89 | Colorado State | 23–10 | 12–4 | 1st | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| 1989–90 | Colorado State | 21–9 | 11–5 | T–1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1990–91 | Colorado State | 15–14 | 6–10 | T–7th | |||||
| Colorado State: | 81–46 (.638) | 37–27 (.578) | |||||||
| Total: | 275–120 (.696) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ Moss, Irv (March 25, 2007). "Rams stood tall during Grant's tenure". The Denver Post. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "CSI names Grant coach". Times-News. April 11, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "CSI wins it all!!!". Times-News. March 21, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Southern Idaho's Grant takes Fresno St. post". Great Falls Tribune. April 6, 1977. p. 16. Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fresno basketball coach Grant resigns". Ukiah Daily Journal. March 11, 1986. p. 9. Retrieved May 1, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lyell, Kelly (March 2, 2017). "27 years ago, CSU basketball was team to beat in WAC". Fort Collins Coloradoan. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Colorado State's Grant resigns". Deseret News. March 21, 1991. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Bemis, Scott (August 17, 2020). "Legendary Fresno State basketball coach Boyd Grant dies". yourcentralvalley.com. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
External links
[edit]- 1933 births
- 2020 deaths
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball coaches from Idaho
- Basketball players from Idaho
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Colorado State Rams men's basketball coaches
- Colorado State Rams men's basketball players
- Fresno State Bulldogs men's basketball coaches
- High school basketball coaches in Wyoming
- Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coaches
- People from American Falls, Idaho
- Snow Badgers men's basketball players
- Southern Idaho Golden Eagles men's basketball coaches