Tony Barone
Tony Barone (1946-2019)
Teams coached: Creighton Bluejays, Texas A&M Aggies, Memphis Grizzlies
Creighton record: 102-82 (.554)
Texas A&M record: 76-120 (.388)
Overall record^: 178-202 (.468)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 2 (1989, 1991)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 2 (1990, 1994)
- Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion: 2 (1989, 1991)
- Missouri Valley Tournament Champion: 2 (1989, 1991)
Awards:
- Southwest Coach of the Year: 1 (1994)
- Missouri Valley Coach of the Year: 1 (1989)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2006-2007 | Memphis Grizzlies |
| 2004-2006 | Memphis Grizzlies (DPP) |
| 2002-2004 | Memphis Grizzlies (asst) |
| 1991-1998 | Texas A&M |
| 1985-1991 | Creighton |
| 1978-1985 | Bradley (asst) |
| 1972-1974 | Duke (asst) |
Tony Barone Facts
- Anthony Andrew Barone, Sr.
- Born July 20, 1946
- Died June 25, 2019
- Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
- Alma Mater: Duke University (BA, 1968)
- Played at Duke for three seasons under head coach Vic Bubas; was an Academic All-American
- Returned home to work at St. George HS in Evanston, IL for several years
- Started his coaching career at Duke, assisting head coaches Bucky Waters and Neill McGeachy for one season each
- Coached at both St. Rita HS and Mount Carmel HS in Chicago, earning three Chicago Catholic League COY awards
- Later inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame
- Spent seven seasons as an assistant on Dick Versace‘s staff at Bradley in his home state of Illinois
- Was a part of two MVC titles, one NCAA berth and the 1982 NIT title
- Hired in 1985 to be the head coach at Creighton, going 102-82 in six years with the Bluejays
- Won two MVC titles of his own, claiming the MVC Tournament crown in each of those seasons to get to the NCAAs
- Left Omaha for Texas A&M in 1991, coaching the Aggies for seven seasons
- Did not reach the same levels of success at TAMU, going 76-120 overall with just one postseason appearance (1994 NIT)
- Fired in 1998 following two straight last-place finishes in the new Big 12 Conference
- Worked in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies, spending time in the front office and on the sidelines
- Was an assistant and director of player personnel for several seasons under head coaches Hubie Brown and Mike Fratello
- Took over as head coach for most of the 2005-06 season after Fratello was fired; went 16-36 and missed the playoffs
- Passed away in June 2019 at age 72 following a long battle with cancer
- Survived by his wife, Kathy, and his sons, Tony Jr. and Brian
Tony Barone Coaching Tree
- Brian Barone (SIU Edwardsville)
- Mitch Buonaguro (Siena)
- Paul Cormier (Dartmouth)
- Dick Fick (Morehead State)
- James Green (Jacksonville State, Mississippi Valley State, Southern Miss)
- Frank Haith (Tulsa, Missouri, Miami FL)
- Rick Johnson (Creighton)
- Porter Moser (Oklahoma, Loyola IL, Illinois State, Little Rock)
- Desmond Oliver (East Tennessee State)
- Damon Stoudamire (Pacific)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only