Veteran coach d**k Harter dies at the age of 81 - NBA News
On Monday night, 81 year old veteran coach d**k Harter breathed his last at a community hospital in Hilton Head Sacramento after fighting a long battle against cancer.
Harter was born on 14th October 1930 and rendered a long service to the game of basketball. He served as head and assistant coach in both NBA and NCAA and was regarded as a top defensive coach of his time, back in 1970’s.
He was the head basketball coach at University of Oregon and the team; “Kamikaze Kids”, were feared for their stifling defence. Moreover under his aegis, Pennsylvania made it into the NCAA tournament twice.
His professional career with NBA started as an assistant coach for Detroit Pistons in 1982-83 season. Later on, he left them for Indiana Pacers in 1986 where he served as an assistant. He was appointed 2 more times as Pacers assistant
coach before retiring in 2010. He is often credited by then Indiana coach as the reason for the team reaching the NBA’s 2000 Finals.
Pacers forward Danny Granger paid his gratitude to the legend and reckoned him as great defensive coach.
“He was a great coach, really a defensive-minded coach, and he taught us a lot, he was a tough coach, but a great guy to be around”.
His 1st head coaching position was with Charlotte Hornets in 1988 but was eventually fired due to team’s abrupt 8-32 record in 1990.
During his more than 50 years in the game he worked on the coaching staffs of the Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks and the Boston Celtics. He had a certain charisma associated with him. Harter used to connect
with the young players naturally.
Former Pacers president Donnie Walsh referred to him as “sarge” due to his benign personality.
Pacers assistant Dan Burke said that he had ample interest in reading.
“Among many things I loved about him was talking about current events and books, particularly World War II and Civil War books”
Amongst his innumerable accomplishments he will be remembered for Oregon victory over Bruins in 1976 at UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion, Bruins were undefeated inside that arena for 6 straight years but with his effective coaching Oregon
handed a 56-45 defeat to the hosts.
Many of the players he trained went onto coach after wards in their lives. One such Oregon player Ernie Kent coached Ducks from 1997 to 2010 and he remembered Harter as a person who could bring transition in communities.
"You talk about people leaving footprints. He left his footprints, he changed the mentality of a community, he changed a program, he changed lives."
He will be remembered as the articulator of modern day defensive game.
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