CBA 1 Continental Basketball Association 1

George Karl joins Idaho Stampede ownership group

Published on September 27, 2004 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1) News Release


Boise, ID (September 27, 2004) — Three-time CBA Coach of the Year recipient and the NBA's 15th all-time winningest coach, George Karl was announced as a new member of the Idaho Stampede ownership group during a Monday press conference. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, as Karl becomes the tenth member of the ownership group.

"I am always looking for an adventure, and this opportunity has provided me the chance to be back in the CBA, where my career first began," stated Karl. "The CBA gave me the experience, discipline and preparation for a successful career, and in turn, I hope to provide what I have learned back to the Stampede organization, its coaching staff, and players."

Karl broke into coaching as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, under head coach Doug Moe, before he landed his first head-coaching position with the CBA's Montana Golden Nuggets in 1980. In his first season, he led the Golden Nuggets to a 27-15 regular season record (finishing in first place in the West Division), before losing to Rochester in the 1981 CBA Finals. Over the next two seasons, he led Montana to second and first place finishes respectively, and two postseason berths.

In 1983, after three successful seasons in the CBA, Karl accepted a personnel position with the Cleveland Cavaliers as the Director of Player Acquisition. The following season, at the age of 33, he became the youngest head coach in NBA history when he was promoted to head coach of the Cavaliers. He was also the first CBA coach to be named a head coach in the NBA.

"It is a great pleasure to welcome back to the CBA a coaching legend such as George Karl," said CBA Commissioner Gary Hunter. "He brings to the table a wealth of experience, knowledge, and passion for the game that will be tremendous for the CBA and the Idaho Stampede franchise."

In his initial season as an NBA skipper (1984-85), Karl turned a 2-19 start around and led the Cavs to their first playoff appearance in seven years, eventually losing in the first round to the Boston Celtics. Released by Cleveland 67 games into his second season, he was hired by the Golden State Warriors in 1986, taking over a team that won just 30 games and had not made the playoffs in nine years. Karl won 42 games in his first year with the Warriors, leading Golden State to the Western Conference Semifinals on his way to finishing second in the 1987 NBA Coach of the Year balloting.

The Penn Hills, Pennsylvania native started the 1987-88 season with the Warriors, before resigning to return to the CBA, where he led the Albany Patroons into the record books (1988-89, 1990-91). The 1990-91 Patroons finished the season with a CBA league record 50-6 mark, including a perfect 28-0 at home. He finished his CBA coaching career with a 176-66 (.727) record, ranking him first on the All-Time CBA Coaches Winning Percentage list. He also earned 1981, 1983 and 1991 CBA Coach of the Year honors, and was named the head coach of the 1989 and 1991 CBA All-Star Games.

"George is a phenomenal mentor, and he gave me a great opportunity a few years ago to be a volunteer coach with the Milwaukee Bucks," said fellow Tar Heel alum and Idaho Stampede Head Coach Joe Wolf. "He has a good basketball mind and I look forward to his advice as I begin preparation for the upcoming season."

Added Stampede Managing Partner Bill Ilett, "We are delighted to have George join our ownership team. Our ownership group has kept one share available since the team's inception for a dynamic and charismatic individual. We believe George's enthusiasm, passion for basketball, and community involvement efforts are a perfect fit to our group and the Idaho Stampede organization."

In 1991, Karl began one of the most successful runs in the history of basketball, when he became the head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics. Over a stretch of six full seasons in Seattle, his teams averaged 59 wins per year, and the Sonics won more games (357) than any team in the league, except the Chicago Bulls. The Sonics advanced to the NBA Finals in 1996, and past the first round on four other occasions. Karl had just one losing month with Seattle, and his longest losing streak was just three games, as he guided Seattle from 1991 to 1998.

Prior to the 1998-99 season, Karl took over the reins of the Milwaukee Bucks, inheriting a Bucks team that had missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons. He engineered a complete turnaround, leading the Bucks to a record of 205-173 and four playoff appearances in five years, highlighted by an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001.

Karl finished his 16-year NBA coaching career with a 708-499 (.587) record, ranking him 15th on the NBA's all-time win list. He is the 20th man to coach over 1,000 NBA games, and the 17th coach to win 600 games. Karl was named the head coach of the 1994 and 1996 NBA All-Star Games, and was also selected as the head coach of USA Basketball's 2002 World Championship Team that competed in the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championships.

As a player, Karl helped lead the University of North Carolina to the NIT title in 1971 as a sophomore, and to the NCAA Final Four in 1972. He was later drafted in 1973 by the New York Knicks in the 4th round of the NBA draft, and played five seasons in the NBA and ABA, averaging 6.5 points and 3.0 assists in 264 games.

The Stampede tips off their seventh season on Friday, November 19, when the face the Yakima Sun Kings at the Yakima Valley SunDome in Yakima, Washington.

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