Clem Haskins facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Clem Haskins

Haskins as a senior at WKU
Personal information
Born	(1943-07-11) July 11, 1943 (age 80) Campbellsville, Kentucky, U.S.
Nationality	American
High school	Taylor County (Campbellsville, Kentucky)
Listed height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight	195 lb (88 kg)
Career information
College	Western Kentucky (1964–1967)
NBA Draft	1967 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	1967–1976
Coaching career	1977–1999
Career history
As player:
1967–1970	Chicago Bulls
1970–1974	Phoenix Suns
1974–1976	Washington Bullets
As coach:
1977–1980	Western Kentucky (assistant)
1980–1986	Western Kentucky
1986–1999	Minnesota
Career highlights and awards
As player Consensus first-team All-American (1967) 3× OVC Player of the Year (1965–1967) No. 22 jersey retired by Western Kentucky Hilltoppers As coach NCAA Division I Regional – Final Four (1997*) 2x NIT champion (1993, 1998*) OVC tournament champion (1981) 2× OVC regular season champion (1981, 1982) Big Ten regular season champion (1997*) AP Coach of the Year (1997*) Henry Iba Award (1997*) NABC Coach of the Year (1997*) Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award (1997*) OVC Coach of the Year (1981) Sun Belt Coach of the Year (1986) Big Ten Coach of the Year (1997*) * Vacated by the NCAA or Big Ten
Career NBA statistics
Points	8,743 (12.8 ppg)
Rebounds	2,087 (3.1 rpg)
Assists	2,382 (3.5 apg)
Medals Assistant coach for  United States men's national basketball team Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Team

Clem Smith Haskins (born August 11, 1943) is an American former college and professional basketball player and college basketball coach. In the fall of 1963, he and fellow star player Dwight Smith became the first black athletes to integrate the Western Kentucky University (WKU) basketball program. This put Western Kentucky at the forefront to integrate college basketball in the South.

Haskins served 13 years (1986–1999) as head coach of the University of Minnesota's men's basketball team, but was forced to resign due to his part in the University of Minnesota basketball scandal. Due to his actions in the scandal, he was given a seven-year show-cause penalty which effectively ended his coaching career.

Early life

Haskins was born and grew up in Campbellsville, Kentucky, the county seat. He is the fifth of eleven children of Charles Columbus and Lucy Edna Haskins, who were sharecroppers. During his freshman and sophomore seasons, he attended the all-black Durham High School (public schools were frequently in those years still segregated in the South, years after the practice was declared illegal). In 1961 Haskins attended Taylor County High School, the first African American to do so in the previously segregated system. His younger brother, Merion, was a standout player at the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1977.

College career

Haskins and teammate Dwight Smith were heavily recruited by Western Kentucky Hilltoppers coach Edgar Diddle and joined the team in 1963. They became the first African-American athletes to play for Western Kentucky. They won the Ohio Valley Conference two years in a row under the direction of the popular WKU head coach John Oldham, who succeeded Diddle their sophomore year. Haskins was the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year in 1966. In the 1966 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the Hilltoppers were 2 points away from defeating Michigan and meeting the University of Kentucky Wildcats in the Mideast regional final. A controversial foul called against Smith during a jump ball put Cazzie Russell on the free throw line for Michigan, where he scored the tying and winning baskets. In 1967, Haskins had broken his wrist in a game against Murray State on February 6. His team still won the Ohio Valley Conference again. In the 1967 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, the #3-ranked Hilltoppers lost to eventual national runner-up Dayton in overtime in the Mideast quarterfinals.

NBA career

After a successful college career, Haskins was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 1967 NBA draft and by the Kentucky Colonels in the American Basketball Association draft. Haskins played nine years in the NBA with three teams (the Bulls, the Phoenix Suns, and the Washington Bullets). He retired in 1976 due to knee injuries, having tallied 8,743 career points.

Coaching career

After his NBA career, Haskins returned to Western Kentucky University, first as an assistant coach in 1977 and then as head coach in 1980. As head coach, he led Western Kentucky to two NCAA appearances and one NIT appearance.

In 1986, Haskins was hired by the University of Minnesota to rebuild the school's men's basketball program. He led the Gophers to a school-record 31 wins and the Final Four in 1997, winning the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award in the same year. He also led Minnesota to NIT titles in 1993 and 1998. He joined Lenny Wilkens' staff to coach the United States men's basketball team to the gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Haskins was known for sitting on a four-legged bar stool at Minnesota home games. Williams Arena has a raised floor which was hard on his knees, and ordinarily the team sits off the floor.

After coaching

Haskins did not return to coaching when his show-cause expired. He retired to his 750-acre (3.0 km²) ranch near Campbellsville, Kentucky, where he raises cattle. He has also worked as a color commentator for Western Kentucky basketball home games.

Awards

• High School Scholastic All-American, 1963
• Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year, 1966, 1967
• First team All-American, 1967
• Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year, 1982
• Associated Press Coach of the Year, 1997

Head coaching record

See also

In Spanish: Clem Haskins para niños

• List of National Basketball Association players with most assists in a game
• List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach