Ray Mears
Ray Mears (1926-2007)
Teams coached: Wittenberg Tigers, Tennessee Volunteers
Wittenberg record^: 121-23 (.840)
Tennessee record: 278-112 (.713)
Overall record^: 399-135 (.747)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 3 (1967, 1976, 1977)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (1967)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 2 (1969, 1971)
- NCIT Appearances: 2 (1974, 1975)
- SEC Regular Season Champion: 3 (1967, 1972, 1977)
- OAC (Div II) Regular Season Champion: 3 (1959, 1960, 1961)
- OAC (Div II) Tournament Champion: 3 (1960, 1961, 1962)
- NCAA Division II National Championships: 1 (1961)
- NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances: 3 (1959, 1961, 1962)
- NCAA Division II Tournament Final Four: 1 (1961)
Awards:
- SEC Coach of the Year: 2 (1967, 1977)
- NABC Golden Anniversary Award (1996)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1962-1977 | Tennessee |
| 1956-1962 | Wittenberg |
Ray Mears Facts
- Ray Mears
- Born November 8, 1926
- Died June 11, 2007
- Hometown: Dover, Ohio
- Alma Mater: Miami University (BA, 1949) / Kent State University (MA)
- The Ohio-native attended Miami University (OH), where he walked on to the basketball team coached by Blue Foster
- Started his coaching career at Cadiz HS (OH), serving as head basketball coach and assistant football coach for one year
- Served in the United States Army from 1950-52
- Returned to coaching in 1952, spending the next four years as the head coach at West Tech HS in Cleveland
- Hired as the head coach at Division II (then College Division) Wittenberg in 1956, coaching the Tigers for six seasons
- Went 121-23 (69-7) overall and won the NCAA College Division (now D-II) national championship in 1961
- Took his first coaching job outside of his home state in 1962 when he was hired to lead the Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC
- Won 278 (71%) games during his 15-year tenure, winning three SEC titles and appearing in the postseason seven times
- Reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in 1967 and had two more NCAAT appearances (1976 and 1977)
- Also appeared in the NIT twice and in both iterations of the short-lived NCIT (1974 and 1975)
- Coached 12 All-Americans at UT, including Hall of Famer Bernard King (3x SEC POY) & longtime NBA GM Ernie Grunfeld
- After winning the SEC and going 22-6 in 1976-77, Mears sat out the 1977-78 while battling depression
- Team was coached in the interim by assistant Cliff Wettig; Mears would officially retire in 1978, citing health issues
- Among other things, Mears is credited with making the song “Rocky Top” the popular UT staple it is today
- Won 278 (71%) games during his 15-year tenure, winning three SEC titles and appearing in the postseason seven times
- Mears served as the athletic director at the University of Tennessee at Martin from 1980-1989
- After several years of declining health, Mears passed away at the age of 80 in June 2007
- He was survived by his wife, Dana, and three sons, Steve, Mike and Matt
Ray Mears Coaching Tree
- Tommy Bartlett (Florida)
- Rick Byrd (Belmont, Lincoln Memorial, Maryville)
- Eldon Miller (Northern Iowa, Ohio State, Western Michigan, Wittenberg)
- Bill Musselman (South Alabama, Minnesota Timberwolves, Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota, Ashland)
- Cliff Wettig (Tennessee)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and Division II (f/k/a College Division) levels