Pete Newell
Pete Newell is widely considered and respected as one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. His contributions to basketball span almost six decades. Among his numerous accomplishments are the fact that he is the first basketball coach to have ever won a National Invitation Tournament Championship (University of San Francisco, 1949), an NCAA Championship (University of California—Berkeley, 1959), and an Olympic gold medal (the United States team in Rome, 1960). Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Pete grew up in the Los Angeles area. He graduated in 1939 from Loyola Marymount where he played on both the basketball and baseball teams. Prior to enlisting in the Navy in 1942, he began his coaching career at St. John’s Military Academy in Los Angeles. Following his naval service in 1946, he began his college coaching career at the University of San Francisco. After four very successful years as the head coach of the Don’s men’s basketball program, he then spent four seasons in the same position at Michigan State University. In 1954, he took over the men’s basketball program at the University of California-Berkeley—a position he held until 1960. While he was the Bear’s coach, his teams were conference champions for four consecutive years and went to the NCAA final eight for four years in a row. From 1960-68, Pete served as the Director of Athletics at the University of California-Berkeley. He then accepted the position of general manager for the San Diego Rockets (subsequently the Houston Rockets)—a job he held from 1968-71. He worked in the same capacity for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1972-74. Subsequently, he has served as a consultant for both the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Pete has continued to be actively involved with basketball over the years.
