Dave Strack

Dave Strack (1923-2014)

Teams coached: Idaho Vandals, Michigan Wolverines
Idaho record: 11-15 (.423)
Michigan record: 113-89 (.559)
Overall record: 124-104 (.544)

Career Accomplishments:

Awards:

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1960-1968 Michigan
1959-1960 Idaho
1948-1959 Michigan (asst)

Dave Strack Facts

  • David H. Strack
  • Born March 2, 1923
  • Died January 25, 2014
  • Hometown: Indianapolis, Indiana
  • Alma Mater: University of Michigan (BA, 1946)
  • Played at Michigan under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan, then briefly played for the Indianapolis Kautskys of the pro NBL
  • Returned to his alma mater in 1948, serving as an assistant coach there for the next eleven seasons
    • Worked under head coaches Ernie McCoy (1948-52) and Bill Perigo (1952-59)
  • Left to become the head coach at Idaho in 1959, going 11-15 in his lone season with the Vandals
  • Came back to Ann Arbor to replace Perigo as the Wolverines’ coach in 1960, a position he held for the next eight seasons
    • After a slow start, Strack’s teams enjoyed tremendous success from 1963-66
    • Stopped coaching in 1968, instead serving as the University’s business manager for two years, followed by another two years as associate AD
  • Moved on to Arizona in 1972, serving as the University’s athletic director for the next ten years
    • During his tenure as AD, Strack oversaw the school’s transition to the Pac-10 and hired the first African-American head basketball coach at a major university (Fred Snowden)
    • Resigned in 1982 amid some controversy surrounding improper payments that were alleged to have been made to coaches, alumni and recruits
  • Continued to live in Arizona in retirement, first in Prescott and then back in Tuscon
  • The Indianapolis-native was inducted into the (state of) Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992
  • Passed away in 2014 from pneumonia at the age of 90, three years after his wife had passed
    • Along with his late wife, Ruth Ann, Strack had five children

Dave Strack Coaching Tree