Benny Dees
Benny Dees (1934-2021)
Teams coached: VCU Rams, New Orleans Privateers, Wyoming Cowboys, Western Carolina Catamounts
VCU record^: 25-21 (.543)
New Orleans record: 42-16 (.724)
Wyoming record: 104-77 (.575)
Western Carolina record: 26-30 (.464)
Overall record^: 197-144 (.578)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 (1987, 1988)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1991)
- WAC Tournament Champion: 1 (1988)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
1993-1995 | Western Carolina |
1987-1993 | Wyoming |
1985-1987 | New Orleans |
1980-1985 | Alabama (asst) |
1979-1980 | Georgia Tech (women’s) |
1977-1979 | Georgia Tech (asst) |
1970-1973 | Western Kentucky (asst) |
1968-1970 | VCU |
1962-1967 | Abraham Baldwin Agricultural |
Benny Dees Facts
- Benny Dees
- Born December 29, 1934
- Died March 23, 2021
- Hometown: Mount Vernon, Georgia
- Alma Mater: University of Wyoming (BA, 1958)
- Played baseball and basketball at Wyoming, the latter for Hall of Fame coach Everett Shelton
- Served as the head basketball coach at Abraham Baldwin JC (GA) for five seasons
- Became the first ever men’s basketball coach at (then D-II) VCU, going 25-21 in two seasons
- Spent three seasons as one of John Oldham‘s assistants at Western Kentucky
- Was as an assistant at Georgia Tech for two seasons under head coach Dwane Morrison
- Spent one season as the head women’s basketball coach at GT, going 8-19 (1-6)
- Joined Wimp Sanderson‘s staff at Alabama in 1980, spending five years as an assistant with the Tide
- Hired as the head coach at New Orleans in 1985; led program to first ever D-I NCAA Tournament in 1987
- Returned to alma mater Wyoming in 1987, leading the Cowboys for six seasons
- Won the 1988 WAC Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament, then reached the NIT in 1991
- Went 104-77 overall, but was fired in 1993 after a 13-15 season
- Finished his college coaching career at Western Carolina, going 26-30 in two seasons there
- Coached HS basketball in Georgia after WCU; retired in 2010 as head coach at Toombs County HS
- Passed away in 2021 at age 86; survived by wife, Nancy, and son, Josh, who played for him at Wyoming and Western Carolina
Benny Dees Coaching Tree
- Billy Kennedy (Texas A&M, Murray State, Southeastern Louisiana, Centenary)
- Art Tolis (New Orleans)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels only