Harry Miller (born in 1927)
Harry Miller (1927-2013)
Teams coached: Western State Mountaineers, Fresno State Bulldogs, Eastern New Mexico Greyhounds, North Texas Mean Green, Wichita State Shockers, Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
Western State record: 63-81 (.438)
Fresno State record^: 93-39 (.705)
Eastern New Mexico record: 104-37 (.738)
North Texas record: 10-15 (.400)
Wichita State record: 97-90 (.519)
Stephen F. Austin record^: 170-112 (.603)
Overall record^: 537-374 (.589)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1976)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1987)
- Gulf Star Regular Season Champion: 1 (1987)
- Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion: 1 (1976)
- Lone Star (NAIA/Div II) Regular Season Champion: 2 (1982, 1983)
- CCAA (Div II) Regular Season Championships: 4 (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965)
- NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances: 5 (1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1983)
- NAIA National Championships: 1 (1969)
- NAIA Tournament Appearances: 4 (1967, 1969, 1970, 1982)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1978-1988 | Stephen F. Austin |
| 1971-1978 | Wichita State |
| 1970-1971 | North Texas |
| 1965-1970 | Eastern New Mexico |
| 1960-1965 | Fresno State |
| 1958-1960 | New Mexico (asst) |
| 1953-1958 | Western State |
Harry Miller Facts
- Harry Eugene Miller
- Born January 26, 1927
- Died February 13, 2013
- Hometown: Martinsville, Indiana
- Alma Mater: Eastern New Mexico University (BS, 1951)
- After graduating high school, the Indiana-native enlisted in the United States Air Force (in 1945, during World War II)
- Upon returning to the States, Miller attended Eastern New Mexico where he played basketball for head coach Al Garten
- Started coaching at House HS (NM) and then in 1953 was hired to be the head coach at NAIA Western State (CO)
- Joined Bob Sweeney’s staff at New Mexico as an assistant coach in 1958, working with the Lobos for two seasons
- Hired in 1960 to be the head coach at then-Division II Fresno State, leading the Bulldogs for five seasons
- Went 93-39 overall, winning four-straight CCAA titles and going to four D-II NCAA Tournaments (1962-65)
- Returned to his alma mater, Eastern New Mexico, in 1965 and had a very successful five-year tenure as head coach
- Led the Greyhounds to a 104-37 overall record and in 1969 won the NAIA National Championship; returned to the Final Four in 1970
- Got his first D-I job, a one-year stint at North Texas State in 1970, and then became head coach at Wichita State in 1971
- Was 97-90 at Wichita, leading the Shockers to a Missouri Valley title and NCAA Tournament in 1976
- Final coaching job was at Stephen F. Austin, which transitioned from NAIA to Division II and finally to Division during his ten years there
- Went 170-112, going to a NAIA Tournament in 1982, D-II NCAA Tournament in 1983 and the (D-I) NIT in 1987
- Won three conference titles: the Lone Star in both 1982 and 1983 and the defunct Gulf Star in 1987
- Passed away in 2013 at the age of 88; survived by his wife, LaNora, and their three sons, Bob, Tom and Gary
Harry Miller Coaching Tree
- Cal Bruton (several pro teams in Australia)
- Danny Kaspar (Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, Incarnate Word)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I, Division II and NAIA levels; note that during Millers’ tenures at these current D-I schools, they were not yet in D-I (Fresno was D-II, SFA was NAIA and then D-II)
See here for the other college basketball coach named Harry Miller (born in 1950).
