Johnny Orr (basketball, born 1927) facts for kids
Orr from 1975 Michiganensian
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 10, 1927 |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | December 30, 2013 (aged 86) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| High school | Taylorville (Taylorville, Illinois) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College |
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| NBA Draft | 1949 / Round: 2 / Pick: 20th overall |
| Selected by the St. Louis Bombers | |
| Pro career | 1949–1950 |
| Coaching career | 1951–1994 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1949–1950 | St. Louis Bombers |
| 1950 | Waterloo Hawks |
| As coach: | |
| 1951–1959 | Dubuque HS |
| 1959–1963 | Wisconsin (assistant) |
| 1963–1966 | UMass |
| 1967–1968 | Michigan (assistant) |
| 1968–1980 | Michigan |
| 1980–1994 | Iowa State |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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John Michael Orr (born June 10, 1927, died December 30, 2013) was a famous American basketball player and coach. He is best known for coaching college basketball teams at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, University of Michigan, and Iowa State University. In the 1975–76 season, he was even named the National Coach of the Year!
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Johnny Orr's Early Life and Playing Days
Johnny Orr grew up in Taylorville, Illinois, during the Great Depression. He played basketball at Taylorville High School for coach Dolph Stanley. In his senior year (1944), Johnny led his team, the Tornadoes, to an amazing state championship. They finished the season with a perfect 45–0 record! This was the first time any team in the Illinois High School Association's history had an undefeated season.
In 2007, Johnny Orr was honored as one of the "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament" for his great performance. After high school, he went to the University of Illinois. He was the youngest freshman to play three different sports there. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II, Orr returned to college basketball at Beloit College. There, he reunited with his high school coach, Dolph Stanley.
Playing in the NBA
Johnny Orr was first chosen in the 1948 BAA draft by the Minneapolis Lakers. The BAA was the league that later became the NBA. He didn't play for the Lakers. The next year, he was drafted again in the second round by the St. Louis Bombers. In 1950, Orr played 21 games for the Bombers. He then played 13 more games for the Waterloo Hawks.
Johnny Orr's Coaching Career
In 1951, Johnny Orr started his coaching career at Dubuque Senior High School in Dubuque, Iowa. He coached there until 1959. In 1959, he moved to college basketball, becoming an assistant coach at Wisconsin.
Coaching at UMass
Johnny Orr got his first head coaching job at a college in 1963. He became the head coach at UMass. In his first season (1963–64), he led the team to a winning record of 15 wins and 9 losses.
Coaching at Michigan
After three seasons at UMass, Orr moved to the University of Michigan in 1967. He worked as an assistant coach for one season under head coach Dave Strack.
In 1968, Johnny Orr became the head coach at Michigan. He stayed in this job for 12 seasons. His team in 1973–74 made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. Orr was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year that season. In 1976, Michigan was the runner-up in the NCAA tournament. They lost to the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers. That year, Orr was named the National Coach of the Year. His 209 wins at Michigan were the most in the school's history for a long time.
Coaching at Iowa State
In 1980, Orr left Michigan to become the head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones. Before he arrived, the Iowa State basketball program had only been to the postseason once, way back in 1944. Johnny Orr changed that! He led the team to six NCAA Tournaments in 14 seasons.
The move to Iowa State was a bit of a surprise. The Iowa State athletic director called Orr to ask about his assistant coach, Bill Frieder. When Orr found out how much Iowa State was willing to pay Frieder, he decided to negotiate the job for himself! He ended up getting paid more at Iowa State than at Michigan. Frieder then took over as coach at Michigan.
In his fourth season at Iowa State, Orr led the Cyclones to the 1984 NIT tournament. This was only the second time the school had been to any postseason event. The very next season, he led the Cyclones to their first NCAA Tournament in 40 years! The season after that, Orr's Cyclones reached the Sweet Sixteen in the 1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. They even beat Michigan, the number five ranked team in the nation, in the second round. Orr said this was the greatest victory of his career. He led Iowa State to four more NCAA tournament appearances before he retired in 1994. He is still the winningest coach in Iowa State history with 218 wins.
Hilton Coliseum: Johnny's Home Court
Johnny Orr's Iowa State teams were incredibly successful at their home arena, Hilton Coliseum. They won 76.7% of their games there! When Orr coached, the number of fans attending games more than doubled. Before each game, the school band would play the theme from The Tonight Show as Orr walked onto the court. He would always give a fist pump to the Iowa State crowd. Orr led Iowa State to 20 victories over teams ranked in the top 25 at Hilton. Writers even started calling the special atmosphere there "Hilton Magic."
Today, at Hilton Coliseum, there's a sports bar for Iowa State donors called "Johnny's." It has TVs, food, and drinks. There's also a statue of Johnny Orr at the entrance, along with displays full of items from his time coaching at Iowa State.
Johnny Orr's Passing
Johnny Orr passed away on December 30, 2013, at the age of 86. He died at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. He had suffered from problems after a head injury from a fall at home.
Awards and Honors
Johnny Orr received many awards and honors throughout his life:
- Taylorville High School Hall of Fame (as an athlete)
- 1969 – Beloit College Hall of Fame (as an athlete)
- 1973 – National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall Of Fame (as an athlete)
- 1973 – Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame
- 1973–1974 – Big Ten Coach of the Year
- 1975–1976 – National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) National Coach of the Year
- 1992 – Dubuque Senior High School Hall of Fame
- 2001 – Iowa State University Hall of Fame
- 2004 – Des Moines Register Hall of Fame
- 2011 – Statue built in Hilton Coliseum
- 2011 – University of Michigan Hall of Honor
