Guy R. Strong (June 15, 1930 – May 19, 2024) was an American basketball player and coach. Strong, a Kentucky native, graduated from Estill County's Irvine High School in 1948.[1] Traveling to the University of Kentucky he was one of five players, including Bill Spivey, who made the final cut during a two-day session. He played for two years including the 1951 National Championship team. After his third year he served in the Korean War, before transferring to Eastern Kentucky to close out his collegiate career. As a coach in High School and College he compiled a 541–355 record. He was also the first coach to win a national championship at Kentucky Wesleyan College, a tradition the school continued by winning 7 more, the most in Division II. Strong was born in Irvine, Kentucky, on June 15, 1930,[2] and died in Lexington, Kentucky, on May 19, 2024, at the age of 93.[3]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 15, 1930 Irvine, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | May 19, 2024 (aged 93) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1949–1951 | Kentucky |
| 1952–1955 | Eastern Kentucky |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1963–1967 | Kentucky Wesleyan |
| 1967–1973 | Eastern Kentucky |
| 1973–1977 | Oklahoma State |
| 1983–1990 | George Rogers Clark HS |
| 1995–2001 | George Rogers Clark HS |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 186–165 (college) |
| Tournaments | 10–2 (NCAA College Division) 0–1 (NCAA University Division) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA College Division (1966) OVC regular season (1972) | |
| Awards | |
| OVC Coach of the Year (1972) Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame (2002) | |
Head coaching record
editCollege
edit| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Wesleyan Panthers (NCAA College Division independent) (1963–1967) | |||||||||
| 1963–64 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 15–8 | NCAA College Division Regional Third Place | ||||||
| 1964–65 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 9–12 | |||||||
| 1965–66 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 24–6 | NCAA College Division Champion | ||||||
| 1966–67 | Kentucky Wesleyan | 25–4 | NCAA College Division Third Place | ||||||
| Kentucky Wesleyan: | 73–30 | ||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky (Ohio Valley Conference) (1967–1973) | |||||||||
| 1967–68 | Eastern Kentucky | 10–14 | 6–8 | 6th | |||||
| 1968–69 | Eastern Kentucky | 13–9 | 7–7 | 4th | |||||
| 1969–70 | Eastern Kentucky | 12–10 | 8–6 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1970–71 | Eastern Kentucky | 16–8 | 10–4 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1971–72 | Eastern Kentucky | 15–11 | 9–5 | T–1st | NCAA University Division First Round | ||||
| 1972–73 | Eastern Kentucky | 12–13 | 7–7 | T–4th | |||||
| Eastern Kentucky: | 78–65 | 47–37 | |||||||
| Oklahoma State Cowboys (Big Eight Conference) (1973–1977) | |||||||||
| 1973–74 | Oklahoma State | 9–17 | 3–11 | 7th | |||||
| 1974–75 | Oklahoma State | 10–16 | 5–9 | 6th | |||||
| 1975–76 | Oklahoma State | 10–16 | 4–10 | 6th | |||||
| 1976–77 | Oklahoma State | 6–21 | 4–10 | 7th | |||||
| Oklahoma State: | 35–70 | 16–40 | |||||||
| Total: | 186–165 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
- ^ "UK Career Statistics for Guy Strong".
- ^ Legendary coach, former UK player dies WKYT
External links
edit- Guy R. Strong – Sports-Reference.com college basketball player profile
- Guy R. Strong – Sports-Reference.com college basketball player profile
- Guy R. Strong – Sports-Reference.com college basketball coach profile
