Bob Weltlich
Encyclopedia
Bob Weltlich is a former American
college basketball
coach
and author.
Weltlich coached 22 seasons with a career record of 300-335 and three trips to
the NCAA tournament
. He was head coach
at South Alabama
, Florida International
, Texas, and Mississippi
and one of only 19 coaches to lead three different teams to the NCAA Tournament
.
from Ohio State
in 1967 and was set to teach. But he met Army
coach Bob Knight in Orrville, Ohio
. Knight hired him as an assistant at Army, then took him to Indiana
, where in 1976 he helped coach a 32-0 team to the NCAA
title.
. Bob Weltlich manned the Rebel sidelines for six years (1977-1982) and directed Ole Miss to an SEC
Tournament title and the program’s postseason debut in 1981. One episode of his aggressive coaching style, foreshadowing criticism levied against him later in his career, followed the team splitting two games in Illinois in 1979; after an all-night marathon bus/plane/bus trip that arrived back on campus on Christmas Day, Weltlich had the team dress for a tape session and practice. (This is described from player Sean Tuohy
's point of view in Michael Lewis'
2006 book The Blind Side
, pp. 55–56.) Upon setting up the projector to watch film (at 10 am on Christmas Day), Weltlich leaned into Tuohy's ear and said, "Hey 12, Merry Fucking Christmas."
DeLoss Dodds
hired Weltlich from the University of Mississippi
to serve as the next Texas men's basketball head coach. Nicknamed "Kaiser Bob" by Longhorn fans for his harshly disciplinarian approach, Weltlich was almost immediately faced with such a manpower shortage from the departures — both voluntary and involuntary — of so many Texas players that he famously had to press Texas male cheerleader
Lance Watson into service during the Longhorns' abysmal 6-22 season of 1982-83.
He coached the US national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship
, winning the silver medal.
Weltlich's next three teams posted yearly improvements in overall records, with the 1985-86 team — which finished with a 19-12 mark and a share of the SWC Championship — representing the zenith of his tenure at Texas. After his teams finished 14-17 and 16-13 in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons, respectively, Weltlich was dismissed with two years remaining on his contract.
Weltlich compiled a 77-98 record during six seasons as the head coach at Texas. None of his six teams managed an appearance in the NCAA Tournament
; only the 1985-86 team participated in postseason competition, losing 71-65 to Ohio State
in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament
.
from 1990 to 1995.
Under Weltlich, the Panthers made their lone appearance to the NCAA Tournament
in 1995, losing to Jim Harrick's
UCLA Bruins
92-56 in the field of 64.
on October 27, 1997 following Bill Musselman's
sudden resignation on October 7, 1997. Weltlich coached the Jags from 1997 to 2002 and compiled a record of 81-65 and three 20-win seasons.
He resigned from South Alabama after the 2002 season, but he and his family remained in Fairhope, Alabama
, where he is a middle school
teacher, trying to complete the 10 years of service he needs to qualify for retirement from the state of Alabama
.
, was released. It tells the story of a college basketball referee who begins to affect outcomes of games based on his gambling habits.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
and author.
Weltlich coached 22 seasons with a career record of 300-335 and three trips to
the NCAA tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. He was head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
at South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
, Florida International
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
, Texas, and Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
and one of only 19 coaches to lead three different teams to the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
.
Indiana
Weltlich got his degree in educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
from Ohio State
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in 1967 and was set to teach. But he met Army
Army Black Knights men's basketball
The Army Black Knights men's basketball team represents the United States Military Academy in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college basketball. Army currently competes as a member of the Patriot League and plays its home games at Christl Arena in West Point, New York.Army is...
coach Bob Knight in Orrville, Ohio
Orrville, Ohio
Orrville is a city in Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,551 at the 2000 census.The J.M. Smucker Co., owner of the Smucker's brand, is headquartered in Orrville.-Geography:Orrville is located at ....
. Knight hired him as an assistant at Army, then took him to Indiana
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
, where in 1976 he helped coach a 32-0 team to the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
title.
Mississippi
He left Indiana to become the head coach at MississippiUniversity of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
. Bob Weltlich manned the Rebel sidelines for six years (1977-1982) and directed Ole Miss to an SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
Tournament title and the program’s postseason debut in 1981. One episode of his aggressive coaching style, foreshadowing criticism levied against him later in his career, followed the team splitting two games in Illinois in 1979; after an all-night marathon bus/plane/bus trip that arrived back on campus on Christmas Day, Weltlich had the team dress for a tape session and practice. (This is described from player Sean Tuohy
Sean Tuohy
Sean Tuohy is an American sports commentator and restaurateur. He played college basketball at the University of Mississippi in the early 1980s, and is known for being the all-time assists leader in the Southeastern Conference ....
's point of view in Michael Lewis'
Michael Lewis (author)
Michael Lewis is an American non-fiction author and financial journalist. His bestselling books include The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, Liar's Poker, The New New Thing, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, Panic and Home Game: An...
2006 book The Blind Side
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game
The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game is a book by Michael Lewis released in 2006 about American football.-Plot:It features two dominant storylines...
, pp. 55–56.) Upon setting up the projector to watch film (at 10 am on Christmas Day), Weltlich leaned into Tuohy's ear and said, "Hey 12, Merry Fucking Christmas."
Texas
In 1982, second-year Texas Athletics DirectorAthletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
DeLoss Dodds
DeLoss Dodds
DeLoss Dodds is the current men's athletic director of The University of Texas at Austin. During his tenure beginning in the fall of 1981, Texas has claimed 13 National Championships and 103 conference titles through September 29, 2011....
hired Weltlich from the University of Mississippi
University of Mississippi
The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the...
to serve as the next Texas men's basketball head coach. Nicknamed "Kaiser Bob" by Longhorn fans for his harshly disciplinarian approach, Weltlich was almost immediately faced with such a manpower shortage from the departures — both voluntary and involuntary — of so many Texas players that he famously had to press Texas male cheerleader
Cheerleading
Cheerleading is a physical activity, sometimes a competitive sport, based on organized routines, usually ranging from one to three minutes, which contain the components of tumbling, dance, jumps, cheers, and stunting to direct spectators of events to cheer on sports teams at games or to participate...
Lance Watson into service during the Longhorns' abysmal 6-22 season of 1982-83.
He coached the US national team in the 1982 FIBA World Championship
1982 FIBA World Championship
The 1982 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Colombia from August 15 to 28 , 1982.-Venues:- Competing nations :- Preliminary round :-Group A:-Group B:-Group C:-Classification round:-Final round:...
, winning the silver medal.
Weltlich's next three teams posted yearly improvements in overall records, with the 1985-86 team — which finished with a 19-12 mark and a share of the SWC Championship — representing the zenith of his tenure at Texas. After his teams finished 14-17 and 16-13 in the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons, respectively, Weltlich was dismissed with two years remaining on his contract.
Weltlich compiled a 77-98 record during six seasons as the head coach at Texas. None of his six teams managed an appearance in the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
; only the 1985-86 team participated in postseason competition, losing 71-65 to Ohio State
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
.
Florida International
Weltlich served as coach of Florida International Golden PanthersFlorida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
from 1990 to 1995.
Under Weltlich, the Panthers made their lone appearance to the NCAA Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
in 1995, losing to Jim Harrick's
Jim Harrick
Jim Harrick is an American former basketball coach who coached at Pepperdine University, UCLA, the University of Rhode Island and the University of Georgia over a combined total of 23 seasons.-Biography:...
UCLA Bruins
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
92-56 in the field of 64.
South Alabama
The 17-year coaching veteran was named the interim coach at South AlabamaUniversity of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
on October 27, 1997 following Bill Musselman's
Bill Musselman
William Clifford Musselman was an American basketball coach in the NCAA, the ABA, the WBA, the CBA, and the NBA. He was a fiercely intense coach who once was quoted as saying "defeat is worse than death, because you have to live with defeat."-Early life:Musselman was the second of five children....
sudden resignation on October 7, 1997. Weltlich coached the Jags from 1997 to 2002 and compiled a record of 81-65 and three 20-win seasons.
He resigned from South Alabama after the 2002 season, but he and his family remained in Fairhope, Alabama
Fairhope, Alabama
Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 16,176....
, where he is a middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
teacher, trying to complete the 10 years of service he needs to qualify for retirement from the state of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
Novel
In 2004, Weltlich's novel, Crooked ZebraCrooked Zebra
Crooked Zebra is a 2004 novel by former University of Texas college basketball coach Bob Weltlich.-Plot:Jim Stanton, the narrator, tells the tale of Bob Girard, a former college basketball player who now runs a popular basketball camp for children in South Florida.Chad Payne, an eleven year old...
, was released. It tells the story of a college basketball referee who begins to affect outcomes of games based on his gambling habits.