Remember When... Stan Watts Coached at BYU?

When considering the most influential individuals in BYU basketball history, Stan Watts has to be placed at the top of the list. During his 23 years at the helm of the Cougar basketball program, Watts led his teams to two NIT National Championships (1951, 1966) and oversaw the construction of the George Albert Smith Fieldhouse and the Marriott Center.

His nationally recognized accomplishments led to his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., on March 6, 1986, making him the first Cougar to receive the prestigious honor. Watts finished his career after the 1971-72 season with an overall record of 371-254 (.594).

He was a member of the NCAA’s Rules Committee, served as president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and chaired the U.S. Olympic Basketball Committee in 1976. Watts also served four years as BYU’s athletic director and spent time on the Cougar football and baseball coaching staffs.

Even more impressive than his remarkable accomplishments as a coach is his impeccable character as a human being. He is respected by coaches, fans and players alike for his conduct both on and off the court.

“His won-loss record speaks very well for the kind of coach he was,” said former player Harold Christensen, who played for Watts on the 1951 championship team. “His reputation among his fellow coaches suggests how much they respected him. He still has that and is still honored in the community in which he coached.”

Always a fighter, Watts overcame a rare form of cancer in 1971—only the fourth-known case of this type of cancer in medical history. Despite the fact that the other three individuals died, Watts refused to give up. After 14-hours of surgery and a two-month stay in the hospital, Watts returned to coach his team to a WAC Championship the following year.

Known for his fast-break style of offense, Watts remains an avid Cougar fan. He once said, “It has always been our contention that the average basketball fan likes to see fast-scoring, speedy, exciting basketball.”

By looking around the Marriott Center during a Cougar game, there are hints that Watts has been there. The glass-encased exhibit in the halls outside the arena pays tribute to one of the greatest coaches and individuals ever to grace the sidelines of a BYU athletic contest — as do the two NIT Championship banners and the WAC title banners from 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971 and 1972.

“The greatest tribute I can pay to Stan Watts,” said retired Senior Associate Athletic Director Pete Witbeck, who was BYU’s NCAA compliance officer and former assistant to Watts for many years, “is he’s truly a man of God. He’s always been a gentleman and great man. You don’t see that very often.”

Watts passed away April 6, 2000 at the age of 88.

CLICK HERE for Watts’ Cougar Club Hall of Fame bio.

CLICK HERE for Watts’ Basketball Hall of Fame bio.

Remember When... Series

Every weekday from Oct. 15 to Nov. 11, BYUCougars.com will remember some of the great moments, players and events in BYU basketball history. A new installment to the series will be posted every weekday until the 2010-11 men’s basketball season opener against Fresno State on Nov. 12.