I told you it was going to happen...Now the next piece will be Bobby Huggins to Morgantown!
Catlett to retire at season's end
By Brian Messerly for MSNsportsNET.com
Thursday, February 14, 2002 06:15:49 PM
MORGANTOWN, W.VA. ? West Virginia University athletic director Ed Pastilong announced Thursday that Mountaineer men?s basketball coach Gale Catlett will retire from coaching at the end of the 2001-02 season.
Gale Catlett will retire at the end of the 2002 season at West Virginia's winningest coach
(All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks)
"It?s been a great ride for me and my family for the last 24 years," said Catlett. "I hope everyone in their lifetime has the chance to experience the joy and success that I ?ve had at West Virginia University.
"I would like to thank everyone in this state and at WVU that?s helped me run this program and our personal lives. I will always cherish the friendship of Ed Pastilong, the University administration, great supporters, alumni and fans.
"I will do everything I can in the future to support the athletic department, the University and this state as long as I live. I?ll always be a Mountaineer."
Pastilong also announced that WVU assistant coach Drew Catlett will take over the bench coaching duties with assistance from coaches Lester Rowe and Chris Cheeks for the remainder of the season.
"Gale is one of the finest alums ever at West Virginia University," said Pastilong. "His coaching career has been remarkable. His national reputation for competitiveness, fair play and integrity is unmatched.
"The West Virginia University athletic department extends its most sincere thanks and appreciation to Gale for his outstanding contributions to our basketball program. I think the world of Gale. He is a true friend of mine. My very best go out to him and his wife Anise."
"This is the end of an era at West Virginia University," said WVU president David C. Hardesty Jr. "Anise, Gale, Susan and I have been close personal friends for many years. He is a competitor and a man of honor. We wish him the best in his retirement. Gale has been a part of many positive achievements at WVU, first as a player and most recently as the head basketball coach."
The winningest coach in West Virginia basketball history, Catlett holds a 439‑276 record with the Mountaineers; overall, after 30 years as a collegiate head coach, Catlett, a former WVU player, is 565‑320. He is just the 45th Division I coach all‑time to post more than 500 career wins, and the 41st to post more than 400 victories at one school.
He has taken a team to postseason play on 20 occasions, and in 15 of the last 21 seasons. He has won more than 560 career games, posting victories over 146 schools and 218 different head coaches. WVU won the second‑highest number of games of any expansion team in BIG EAST history during its debut season in 1996, and over its next two years was in contention for the BIG EAST regular season title until the final week of competition. And he won more conference games than any other coach during WVU's Atlantic 10 days ‑‑ 189 of those.
Over the decade prior to his arrival, the WVU record was 116‑121. Catlett brought the winning tradition back, with eight trips to the NCAA tournament, highlighted by the 1998 Sweet 16 appearance, and eight more to the NIT, including a trip to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden in 1981. His 1985‑86 team earned the distinction of being one of only 16 teams selected to play in the inaugural preseason NIT where the Mountaineers promptly stunned 10th‑rated Auburn; WVU became one of the earliest teams invited to repeat with an appearance in the 1991 preseason NIT. During his 30 seasons as a head coach, Catlett had only three losing campaigns.
A native of Hedgesville, W.Va., he earned his bachelor's degree from WVU in 1963 and began his coaching resume as an assistant under Lew Mills at Richmond from 1963‑65. Catlett then spent two years (1965‑67) on Lefty Driesell's staff at Davidson and four seasons (1967‑71) on Ted Owens' Kansas staff. While on the Jayhawk bench, Catlett coached the Kansas freshmen to a 34‑4 record.
In 1971, Catlett earned the opportunity to join the staff of the legendary Adolph Rupp at Kentucky. After just one season, Rupp felt Catlett was ready for a major college head coaching job. In six seasons at Cincinnati, Catlett?s Bearcat teams were 126‑44 with three NCAA tournaments and an NIT appearance. During the 1976‑77 season, his Bearcat quintet was ranked second in the nation by AP and UPI.
Averaging over 19 victories a season as a major college head coach, Catlett has gained his share of honors: finalist for Associated Press National Coach of the Year, Eastern Basketball Coach of the Year, state Coach of the Year twice in West Virginia and once in Ohio, Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Basketball Times Coach of the Year and District II Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers.
During more than a quarter‑century as a head coach, Catlett took teams to the NCAA tournament on 11 occasions and the NIT eight times. He coached two Metro Conference championship teams at Cincinnati and had five Atlantic 10 regular season and a pair of Atlantic 10 tournament titles under his belt.
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Catlett to retire at season's end
By Brian Messerly for MSNsportsNET.com
Thursday, February 14, 2002 06:15:49 PM
MORGANTOWN, W.VA. ? West Virginia University athletic director Ed Pastilong announced Thursday that Mountaineer men?s basketball coach Gale Catlett will retire from coaching at the end of the 2001-02 season.
Gale Catlett will retire at the end of the 2002 season at West Virginia's winningest coach
(All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks)
"It?s been a great ride for me and my family for the last 24 years," said Catlett. "I hope everyone in their lifetime has the chance to experience the joy and success that I ?ve had at West Virginia University.
"I would like to thank everyone in this state and at WVU that?s helped me run this program and our personal lives. I will always cherish the friendship of Ed Pastilong, the University administration, great supporters, alumni and fans.
"I will do everything I can in the future to support the athletic department, the University and this state as long as I live. I?ll always be a Mountaineer."
Pastilong also announced that WVU assistant coach Drew Catlett will take over the bench coaching duties with assistance from coaches Lester Rowe and Chris Cheeks for the remainder of the season.
"Gale is one of the finest alums ever at West Virginia University," said Pastilong. "His coaching career has been remarkable. His national reputation for competitiveness, fair play and integrity is unmatched.
"The West Virginia University athletic department extends its most sincere thanks and appreciation to Gale for his outstanding contributions to our basketball program. I think the world of Gale. He is a true friend of mine. My very best go out to him and his wife Anise."
"This is the end of an era at West Virginia University," said WVU president David C. Hardesty Jr. "Anise, Gale, Susan and I have been close personal friends for many years. He is a competitor and a man of honor. We wish him the best in his retirement. Gale has been a part of many positive achievements at WVU, first as a player and most recently as the head basketball coach."
The winningest coach in West Virginia basketball history, Catlett holds a 439‑276 record with the Mountaineers; overall, after 30 years as a collegiate head coach, Catlett, a former WVU player, is 565‑320. He is just the 45th Division I coach all‑time to post more than 500 career wins, and the 41st to post more than 400 victories at one school.
He has taken a team to postseason play on 20 occasions, and in 15 of the last 21 seasons. He has won more than 560 career games, posting victories over 146 schools and 218 different head coaches. WVU won the second‑highest number of games of any expansion team in BIG EAST history during its debut season in 1996, and over its next two years was in contention for the BIG EAST regular season title until the final week of competition. And he won more conference games than any other coach during WVU's Atlantic 10 days ‑‑ 189 of those.
Over the decade prior to his arrival, the WVU record was 116‑121. Catlett brought the winning tradition back, with eight trips to the NCAA tournament, highlighted by the 1998 Sweet 16 appearance, and eight more to the NIT, including a trip to the NIT Final Four at Madison Square Garden in 1981. His 1985‑86 team earned the distinction of being one of only 16 teams selected to play in the inaugural preseason NIT where the Mountaineers promptly stunned 10th‑rated Auburn; WVU became one of the earliest teams invited to repeat with an appearance in the 1991 preseason NIT. During his 30 seasons as a head coach, Catlett had only three losing campaigns.
A native of Hedgesville, W.Va., he earned his bachelor's degree from WVU in 1963 and began his coaching resume as an assistant under Lew Mills at Richmond from 1963‑65. Catlett then spent two years (1965‑67) on Lefty Driesell's staff at Davidson and four seasons (1967‑71) on Ted Owens' Kansas staff. While on the Jayhawk bench, Catlett coached the Kansas freshmen to a 34‑4 record.
In 1971, Catlett earned the opportunity to join the staff of the legendary Adolph Rupp at Kentucky. After just one season, Rupp felt Catlett was ready for a major college head coaching job. In six seasons at Cincinnati, Catlett?s Bearcat teams were 126‑44 with three NCAA tournaments and an NIT appearance. During the 1976‑77 season, his Bearcat quintet was ranked second in the nation by AP and UPI.
Averaging over 19 victories a season as a major college head coach, Catlett has gained his share of honors: finalist for Associated Press National Coach of the Year, Eastern Basketball Coach of the Year, state Coach of the Year twice in West Virginia and once in Ohio, Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Basketball Times Coach of the Year and District II Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers.
During more than a quarter‑century as a head coach, Catlett took teams to the NCAA tournament on 11 occasions and the NIT eight times. He coached two Metro Conference championship teams at Cincinnati and had five Atlantic 10 regular season and a pair of Atlantic 10 tournament titles under his belt.
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