Pete Newell facts for kids
January 2007
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| Biographical details | |||||||||||
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| Born | August 31, 1915 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
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| Died | November 17, 2008 (aged 93) Rancho Santa Fe, California, U.S. |
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| Playing career | |||||||||||
| Basketball | |||||||||||
| 1939 | Loyola Marymount | ||||||||||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |||||||||||
| Basketball | |||||||||||
| 1946–1950 | San Francisco | ||||||||||
| 1950–1954 | Michigan State | ||||||||||
| 1954–1960 | California | ||||||||||
| Baseball | |||||||||||
| 1946–1950 | San Francisco | ||||||||||
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |||||||||||
| 1960–1968 | California | ||||||||||
| 1968–1971 | San Diego Rockets (GM) | ||||||||||
| 1972–1976 | Los Angeles Lakers (GM) | ||||||||||
| Head coaching record | |||||||||||
| Overall | 233–123 (basketball) | ||||||||||
| Accomplishments and honors | |||||||||||
| Championships | |||||||||||
| Basketball NCAA University Division tournament (1959) 2 NCAA University Division Regional—Final Four (1959, 1960) NIT (1949) 3 PCC regular season (1957–1959) AAWU regular season (1960) |
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| Awards | |||||||||||
| Henry Iba Award (1960) NABC Coach of the Year (1960) UPI Coach of the Year (1960) FIBA Hall of Fame (2009) |
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| Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1979 |
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| College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
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Medal record
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Peter Francis Newell (born August 31, 1915 – died November 17, 2008) was a famous American basketball coach. He coached college men's basketball for 15 years. He worked at the University of San Francisco, Michigan State University, and the University of California, Berkeley. He won 234 games and lost 123.
Newell led the California Golden Bears to win the NCAA title in 1959. A year later, he coached the U.S. team to a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics. This Olympic team was later added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. After he stopped coaching, he ran a very popular basketball training camp. He also worked as a consultant and scout for several National Basketball Association (NBA) teams.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Peter Newell was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He grew up in Los Angeles, California. When he was young, his mother encouraged him to act. He had small parts in movies before he turned ten. Some people even say that Charlie Chaplin thought about him for the main role in his film The Kid (1921).
Newell went to St. Agnes High School. He also went to Loyola University of Los Angeles, which is now Loyola Marymount University. There, he played on both the basketball and baseball teams.
Coaching College Basketball
Newell served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1946. After that, he became the head men's basketball coach at the University of San Francisco in 1946. During his four years at USF, Newell won 70 games and lost 37. He led the Dons to win the 1949 National Invitation Tournament championship.
In 1950, he became the head coach at Michigan State University. He coached there until 1954. Newell then moved back to California in 1954. He was hired as the head coach at the University of California, Berkeley.
Newell was very successful at Cal. He won 119 games and lost 44. He led the Golden Bears to win four straight conference titles from 1957 to 1960. His team also played in two straight NCAA tournament championship games. They won the championship in 1959. Newell was named national Coach of the Year in 1960.
Olympic Gold Medal Coach
Newell also coached the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team. They won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. This team had many future NBA stars. Some of these players were Walt Bellamy, Oscar Robertson, Jerry West, and Jerry Lucas.
Winning the Olympics made him one of only three coaches to win the "Triple Crown." This means he won the NIT, NCAA, and Olympic championships. Newell also helped introduce a new basketball play called the "reverse-action offense."
Doctors told Newell to stop coaching because of stress. So, he became the Athletic Director at Cal from 1960 to 1968. He even had a slightly better record against famous UCLA coach John Wooden. Many people think he was one of the greatest college basketball coaches ever.
Working in the NBA
After he stopped coaching, Newell worked as an executive or scout for several National Basketball Association (NBA) teams. He was the general manager for the San Diego Rockets from 1968 to 1971.
Later, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers. As general manager of the Lakers, he helped trade for the famous star center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He also worked as the Director of Player Development for the NBA. He retired from the Lakers in 1976 to spend more time with his wife, who was sick.
Pete Newell's Basketball Camps
Newell was known as "America's Basketball Guru." He ran a special training camp for tall players called "Big Man Camp." It was also known as "Pete Newell's Big Man Camp." The camp started when people heard that Newell was helping player Kermit Washington. Washington's game got much better, so more tall players wanted to work with Newell.
Over 200 current and former NBA players attended the camp. Newell was famous for teaching footwork, and some called him "The Footwork Master." Famous players like Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Bill Walton went to his camp. Many players coming out of college felt it was important to attend. From 1976 until he died, Newell never took any money for his services. He said, "I owe it to the game. I can never repay what the game has given me."
In 2001, Newell also started a "Big Man Camp" for women. It was called "Pete Newell's Tall Women's Basketball Camp." Its goal was to teach the basic skills and footwork of basketball to young female players.
Personal Life
Newell's wife, Florence, passed away in 1984. All four of his sons were involved in basketball. His son, Pete Newell Jr., coached the Santa Cruz High School boys' basketball team to win the California state championship in 2005. Another son, Tom Newell, worked as an NBA scout and assistant coach for many years.
Death
Pete Newell died in Rancho Santa Fe, California on November 17, 2008. He was 93 years old.
Legacy and Influence
In 1979, Newell was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. In 2010, the 1960 Olympic team he coached was also added to the Hall of Fame.
An annual college basketball tournament was held in his honor in Oakland, California. It was called the Pete Newell Challenge. In 1987, the basketball court at Cal's Harmon Gym was named "Pete Newell Court" to honor him.
Since 2000, the National Association of Basketball Coaches has given out the Pete Newell Big Man Award. This award goes to the best tall player in college basketball each year.
Many famous coaches and players say that Newell had a huge impact on basketball. Coach Bob Knight said Newell was "as good as anybody who's ever coached this game." Many believe Newell influenced basketball as much as anyone in modern times.
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