Ron Abegglen

Ron Abegglen (1937-2018)

Teams coached: Alaska Anchorage Seawolves, Weber State Wildcats
Alaska Anchorage record^: 109-45 (.708)
Weber State record: 151-84 (.643)
Overall record^: 260-129 (.668)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  2  (1995, 1999)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  0
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  0
• Big Sky Regular Season Champion:  3  (1994, 1995, 1999)
• Great Northwest (Div II) Regular Season Champion:  3  (1988, 1990, 1991)
• Big Sky Tournament Champion:  2  (1995, 1999)
• NCAA Division II National Championships:  0  (Runner-up in 1988)
• NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances:  4  (1987, 1988, 1990, 1991)

Awards:

• Big Sky Coach of the Year:  3  (1994, 1995, 1999)
• Great Northwest (Div II) Coach of the Year:  1  (1988)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1991-1999	Weber State
1986-1991	Alaska Anchorage
1979-1986	Alaska Anchorage (asst)
1974-1979	Snow JC

Ron Abegglen Facts

• Ron Abegglen
• Born August 19, 1937
• Died December 19, 2018
• Hometown: Vernal, Utah
• Alma Mater: Brigham Young University (BA, 1961)
• The Utah-native played basketball for the BYU Cougars and longtime head coach Stan Watts
• First job was a 13-year stint as the head basketball coach at Morgan HS in Morgan, Utah (1961-74)
• Moved up to the JUCO ranks in 1974, spending the next five years as the head coach at Snow JC in Ephraim, Utah
• Hired in 1979 to be an assistant under Gary Bliss at Division II Alaska Anchorage; spent a total of seven seasons as an assistant with the Seawolves, the first two under Bliss and the next five under Harry Larrabee
  • Elevated to head coach in 1986 and spent five successful seasons leading the Seawolves program
  • Went 109-45 overall, winning at least 19 games each season (and 21+ in four of the five)
  • Won three GNAC titles and reached the NCAA D-II Tournament four times, highlighted by a runner-up finish in 1988
  • One of the highlights of his tenure was the Seawolves’ historic upset of undefeated (and eventual NCAA champion) Michigan in 1988
• Left UAA for the Weber State job in 1991, his first Division I coaching opportunity
  • Was 151-84 over eight seasons at the helm, winning three Big Sky titles and two Big Sky Tournaments for two NCAA bids
  • Despite going 25-8 and upsetting #3 North Carolina in the 1999 NCAA Tournament, Abegglen was forced to resign as head coach
    • With the program already on probation for a violation committed by one of his assistants, Abegglen had been charged with domestic violence prior to the start of the season; school president Paul Thompson forced the resignation following the season
• After Weber, Abegglen coached the London Tower in the British Basketball League; retired from coaching and returned to Utah after two years
• Inducted into the Weber State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011 and the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame in 2013
• Passed away in December 2018 at the age of 81

Ron Abegglen Coaching Tree

• Joe Cravens (Weber State)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels only