Ron Abegglen

Ron Abegglen (August 19, 1937 – December 19, 2018) was a college basketball coach.[1][2]

Ron Abegglen
Biographical details
Born(1937-08-19)August 19, 1937
Vernal, Utah
DiedDecember 19, 2018(2018-12-19) (aged 81)
Playing career
1958–1961BYU
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1961–1974Morgan HS
1974–1979Snow JC
1979–1986Alaska Anchorage (assistant)
1986–1991Alaska Anchorage
1991–1999Weber State
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
GNC Coach of the Year (1988)
3× Big Sky Coach of the Year (1994, 1995, 1998)

Professional career

Abegglen was head coach of the Weber State Wildcats team from 1991 to 1999 and at the University of Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves from 1986 to 1991.

At Weber State, he led the Wildcats to an upset of North Carolina in the first round of the 1999 NCAA Tournament. As of the end of the 2019-20 season, Abegglen is the only coach since the NCAA eliminated first-round byes in 1980 to defeat the Tar Heels in the first round. The Wildcats then pushed Florida to overtime before losing 82-74. Four years earlier, Abegglen's Wildcats, a 14-seed, upset Michigan State 79-72 and came within two points of upsetting Georgetown. The 1995 and 1999 upsets the deepest runs by a Big Sky team since Idaho reached the Sweet 16 in 1982.

In August—just months before the upset of the Tar Heels—Abegglen got in a fight with his then-wife, Nedra, that resulted in Nedra getting a broken wrist. Abegglen was charged with domestic violence. Combined with Weber State already being on NCAA probation after Abegglen was caught giving improper benefits to his players, school president Paul Thompson forced Abegglen to resign at the end of the season regardless of how the Wildcats did on the court. Even after the Wildcats upset North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament, Thompson would not consider allowing Abegglen to return for the 1999–2000 season.[3][4]

Abegglen is the all-time coaching winning percentage leader of the UAA Seawolves with a lifetime record of 109–45 for a .708[5] winning percentage. His tenure at UAA was highlighted by a 1989 win over the eventual national champion Michigan Wolverines, 70–66.[6]

He died on December 19, 2018, aged 81.[7][8]

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Weber State Wildcats (Big Sky) (1991–1999)
1991–92 Ron Abegglen 16–1310–6T-3rd
1992–93 Ron Abegglen 20–810–42nd
1993–94 Ron Abegglen 21–911–3T-1st
1994–95 Ron Abegglen 21–911–3T-1stNCAA Round of 32
1995–96 Ron Abegglen 20–1010–4T-2nd
1996–97 Ron Abegglen 15–139–7T-4th
1997–98 Ron Abegglen 14–1312–42nd
1998–99 Ron Abegglen 25–813–31stNCAA Round of 32
Weber State: 152–83 (.647)86–34 (.717)
Total:152–83 (.647)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References
  1. "Ron Abegglen, former Weber State basketball coach, dies at 81". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  2. staff, BRETT HEIN Standard-Examiner. "Former Weber State basketball coach Ron Abegglen dies at 81". Standard-Examiner. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  3. Morrissey, Rick (March 13, 1999). "Weber St. Story Not Over, But Ugly End Is Written". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  4. Rock, Brad (March 22, 1999). "Weber State replaces Abegglen with assistant coach Cravens He becomes the eighth head coach in Wildcat history". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  5. "Seawolf Record Book" (PDF). University of Alaska-Anchorage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  6. "All Time Results" (PDF). University of Alaska Anchorage. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  7. "Ron Abegglen, former Weber State basketball coach, dies at 81". The Salt Lake Tribune. Huntsman Family Investments, LLC. December 20, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  8. Grua, Paul (December 20, 2018). "Weber State mourns death of former men's basketball coach Ron Abegglen". Deseret News. Deseret News Publishing Company. Retrieved December 21, 2018.


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