Larry Farmer (basketball) facts for kids
.jpg)
Farmer as an assistant coach for Western Michigan in 2011
|
|
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 31, 1951 |
| Playing career | |
| 1970–1973 | UCLA |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1973–1981 | UCLA (assistant) |
| 1981–1984 | UCLA |
| 1985–1988 | Weber State |
| 1988–1990 | Qadsia Sporting Club |
| 1990–1991 | Golden State Warriors (assistant) |
| 1992–1997 | Kuwait national team |
| 1997–1998 | Rhode Island (assistant) |
| 1998–2004 | Loyola (IL) |
| 2007–2010 | Hawaii (assistant) |
| 2010–2012 | Western Michigan (assistant) |
| 2013–2018 | Western Michigan (assistant) |
| 2022–present | Woodlands |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 2012–2013 | NC State (dir. player dev.) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 166–179 (college) |
| Tournaments | 0–1 (NCAA Division I) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
As player:
As head coach:
As assistant coach:
|
|
Larry Farmer (born January 31, 1951) is a well-known American basketball coach and former player. He was the head basketball coach for the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1981 to 1984. He also coached at Weber State University (1985–1988) and Loyola University Chicago (1998–2004).
As a college player, Farmer was part of the amazing UCLA Bruins teams that won three national championships in a row in the early 1970s. These teams were led by the legendary coach John Wooden. In 2018, Larry Farmer was honored by being added to the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Larry Farmer played high school basketball at Manual High School in Denver, Colorado. He played there from 1966 to 1969. At one point, he almost quit basketball during his sophomore year.
However, he became a star player in his senior year. He helped his team, the Thunderbolts, reach the state championship game. He was also named First Team Denver Post All-State. Both the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Post newspapers recognized him as First Team All-State, All-Metropolitan, and All-City. In January 2017, Farmer was inducted into the Colorado High School Activities Association's Hall of Fame.
College Playing Days
Larry Farmer played college basketball at UCLA in the early 1970s. He played for the famous coach John Wooden. During his time, he was teammates with basketball legend Bill Walton. This was a time when the UCLA Bruins won seven straight NCAA men's titles.
Farmer was a key player on the UCLA teams that had an incredible record of 89 wins and only 1 loss. This is the best winning percentage in NCAA men's basketball history. He was the only player who played in every single game for these record-breaking teams.
Coaching Career Highlights
After his playing career, Larry Farmer was drafted by both the Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA) and Denver Nuggets (ABA). But he chose not to play professionally in the U.S. Instead, he went back to UCLA.
He became an assistant basketball coach there. He worked under several great coaches, including John Wooden, Gene Bartow, Gary Cunningham, and Larry Brown. This was from 1973 to 1981. For a short time in 1974–75, Farmer played professional basketball for ADB Koblenz in Germany.
In 1979, while he was an assistant coach at UCLA, Larry Farmer even appeared on TV! He was in an episode of The White Shadow and also in a movie called Fast Break. In both, he played a basketball player named Benton.
Leading the UCLA Bruins
When Larry Brown left UCLA before the 1981–82 season, Larry Farmer became the head coach. He led the University of California, Los Angeles team for three seasons, from 1981 to 1984. During his time as head coach, the Bruins had a strong record of 61 wins and 23 losses.
Coaching at Weber State
In 1985, Farmer took on a new challenge as the head coach for Weber State University. He coached the Weber State Wildcats for three seasons, from 1985 to 1988.
Loyola (Chicago) Head Coach
Larry Farmer coached at Loyola University Chicago from 1998 to 2004. In his first three seasons, the team had a record of 30 wins and 51 losses. However, things really improved in 2001. That year, his team had a 17-13 record, including 9-7 in the Horizon League.
Farmer led the Loyola Ramblers close to making the NCAA Tournament that year. He was even named Horizon League Coach of the Year by CollegeInsider.com for his great work. During the 2001 season, his team started with an impressive 6-0 record in the Horizon League, which was the best start in the school's history.
Other Coaching Experiences
Larry Farmer has also coached at the professional level. He was the head coach for the Qadsia Sporting Club in Kuwait from 1988 to 1990. He also worked as an assistant coach for the NBA's Golden State Warriors from 1990 to 1991. From 1992 to 1997, he coached the Kuwaiti National Team.
His college coaching experience also includes being an assistant coach at Rhode Island (1997–1998). There, he helped the Rams reach the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament. He also spent three years as an assistant coach at the University of Hawaiʻi from 2007 to 2010.
Farmer then served two seasons as an assistant coach at Western Michigan (2010–2012). In 2012, he was the director of player development for men's basketball at North Carolina State. He returned to Western Michigan as an assistant coach in 2013 and retired after the 2017–18 season.
Larry Farmer's overall college coaching record is 166 wins and 179 losses.
Images for kids
-
Farmer as an assistant coach for Western Michigan in 2011
-
Farmer from a 1972 UCLA yearbook
