Gene Bartow (1930-2012)
Teams coached: Valparaiso Crusaders, Memphis State Tigers, Illinois Fighting Illini, UCLA Bruins, UAB Blazers
Valparaiso record^: 93-69 (.574)
Memphis record: 82-32 (.718)
Illinois record: 8-18 (.308)
UCLA record: 52-9 (.852)
UAB record: 368-205 (.642)
Overall record^: 650-354 (.647)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 1973)
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 12 (1973, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1994)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 5 (1973, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1982)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 2 (1973, 1976)
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 6 (1972, 1980, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993)
- Sun Belt Regular Season Champion: 3 (1981, 1982, 1990)
- Pac-12 Regular Season Champion: 2 (1976, 1977)
- Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion: 2 (1972, 1973)
- Sun Belt Tournament Champion: 4 (1982, 1983, 1984, 1987)
- NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances: 3 (1966, 1967, 1969)
Awards:
- NABC Coach of the Year: 1 (1973)
- Sun Belt Coach of the Year: 3 (1981, 1982, 1985)
- Missouri Valley Coach of the Year: 1 (1972)
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2009)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1978-1996 | UAB |
| 1975-1977 | UCLA |
| 1974-1975 | Illinois |
| 1970-1974 | Memphis State |
| 1964-1970 | Valparaiso |
| 1961-1964 | Central Missouri State |
Gene Bartow Facts
- Bobby Gene Bartow
- Born August 18, 1930
- Died January 3, 2012
- Hometown: Browning, Missouri
- Alma Mater: Truman State University
- Started coaching at the HS level, winning 145 games in six seasons with Shelbina HS and St Charles HS (both in Missouri)
- Spent nine seasons at the Division II level, three at Central Missouri State and six at (then D-II) Valparaiso
- Was NCAA Runner-Up in 1973 with Memphis State (now Memphis); it was the Tigers’ first ever trip to the Final Four
- After four years at Memphis and one at Illinois, Bartow was hired by UCLA to replace legendary head coach John Wooden
- Went 52-9 in two seasons as the Bruins head coach, winning the Pac-8 each year
- Left UCLA in 1977 to become the athletic director and head basketball coach at UAB
- Tasked with building the athletic program at UAB, which started as an independent for the 1978-79 season before joining the Sun Belt in 1979
- The Blazers quickly grew into a national contender, reaching the Sweet 16 in 1981 in the program’s third ever season
- Bartow’s teams reached the NCAA Tournament nine times during his eighteen year tenure
- Remained the AD at UAB until 2000, but turned the basketball program over to his son – Murry Bartow – in 1996
- Murry played for his father from 1980-85 and served as one of his assistant coaches from 1989-96
- In 1997, UAB changed the name of UAB Arena to Bartow Arena in his honor
- Every year since 2013, CollegeInsider.com has awarded the Gene Bartow Award to a coach recognized for their overall contributions to the game
- Along with his wife, Ruth, had one daughter and two sons
Gene Bartow Coaching Tree
- Murry Bartow (UCLA, South Florida, East Tennessee State, UAB)
- Larry Farmer (Loyola IL, Weber State, UCLA)
- Larry Finch (Memphis)
- Brad Holland (San Diego, Cal State Fullerton)
- Dylan Howard (Alabama A&M, North Park, Hardin-Simmons)
- Lee Hunt (UMKC, Ole Miss)
- Andy Kennedy (UAB, Ole Miss, Cincinnati)
- Dan Monson (Long Beach State, Minnesota, Gonzaga)
- Tom Smith (Missouri Western)
- Bill Walker (Missouri S&T, Illinois-Springfield)
- Tony Yates (Cincinnati)
- Wayne Yates (Northwestern State, Memphis State)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and Division II levels; note that Valparaiso was a D-II program until 1978
