Rich Grawer

Rich Grawer (born April 19, 1943)

Teams coached: Saint Louis Billikens
Saint Louis record: 159-149 (.516)
Overall record: 159-149 (.516)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  0
  • NIT Championships:  0  (Runner-up in 1989, 1990)
  • NIT Appearances:  3  (1987, 1989, 1990)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1982-1992 Saint Louis
1981-1982 Missouri (asst)

Rich Grawer Facts

  • Rich Grawer
  • Born April 19, 1943
  • Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
  • Alma Mater: Rockhurst College (BA, 1965)
  • Played collegiately at Rockhurst in Kansas City; helped lead the team to a NAIA National Championship in 1964
  • Started his coaching career at alma mater St. Louis University HS (MO), where he went 28-1 as the freshmen coach
  • Hired at the newly-opened DeSmet HS in 1971, coaching at the St. Louis school for ten seasons
    • Won three state championships and at one point had a stretch of 63 straight victories (1977-79)
  • Left in 1981 to spent one year on Norm Stewart‘s staff at Missouri, in which the Tigers won the Big Eight and reached the NCAA Sweet Sixteen
  • Hired by Saint Louis in 1982, where he would coach the Billikens for the next ten years
    • Was 159-149 overall, improving from 5 wins in his first year to eventually a stretch of three 20+ wins seasons in four years
    • Reached the NIT three times and finished as runner-up in back-to-back years (1989 and 1990)
    • Among his many players was Anthony Bonner, the first-ever Billiken to be a 1st round NBA Draft pick (played six NBA seasons)
  • After leaving SLU in 1992, Grawer would go on to become athletic director for the Clayton (MO) School District
  • Grawer has been inducted into both the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

Rich Grawer Coaching Tree

  • Derek Thomas (Western Illinois)