The Greatness Of Bill Blakely

[UNTLifer]

These were the good old days!! I love JJ but I would take BB back in a heartbeat.

Tim MacMahon: Blakeley lauded for record, antics

01/10/2003

Tim MacMahon

Rest assured that time has done nothing to tame Bill Blakeley, the former North Texas coach who was widely known as much for his wild antics as his winning ways.

He plans to prove as much Saturday, when he will be honored along with the 1985-86 women’s and 1987-88 men’s teams at halftime of the Mean Green’s game with Denver.

"The first thing I’m going to do is get a technical," Blakeley said mere seconds after he picked up the phone at his Dallas home. "You might as well warn them. I just don’t feel comfortable in the Super Pit without getting a technical."

And it doesn’t feel right unless it’s done with flair.

Blakeley’s battles with referees during his tenure in Denton, which spanned from 1975-83, went well past the customary complaining seen from most coaches. He actually had quite a repertoire of reactions when calls didn’t go his way.

He’d warm up by ripping off his sportscoat, flinging it behind the bench and sending a student manager scrambling to catch it before it hit the floor. He’d dramatically pinch his nose or clutch his throat or pretend to hang himself with his necktie, making sure the men in the striped shirts caught his act. Sometimes he’d mock the officials, poking fun at the way they walked or talked.

"Whatever came to his mind, that’s what he did," said Jimmy Gales, an assistant under Blakeley who later served as UNT’s head coach from 1986-93.

Whatever he did, it worked. In eight seasons, Blakeley compiled a record of 134-85, including a 14-8 mark against Southwest Conference schools. He insists that his interaction with the officials helped him win games.

"Certainly every call didn’t go my way," Blakeley said, "but I got more than the other guy."

It also wasn’t lost on Blakeley that his antics made for good theater. In fact, he admits that he intentionally became more animated when the Mean Green struggled.

"If we weren’t playing well, I felt an obligation to the fans," said Blakeley, who proudly notes that the top 10 crowds in Super Pit history came during his tenure. "They came for entertainment, so somebody had to entertain them. ... And it seems the crazier I got, the looser the players got."

There were times when Blakeley, who sported long hair, tinted glass and a Fu Manchu, got the crowd going before he even got to his seat on the bench. Evidence A: He coached a few games in a tuxedo, accessorizing "that stupid monkey suit" with a bright green bow tie and yellow cowboy boots.

"He was a showman by design," said UNT assistant sports information director Randy Cummings, who covered Blakeley’s teams for the Denton Record-Chronicle. "He always told me that basketball and coaching basketball should be fun — not only for the players, but for the fans. That’s the way he approached his job."

Blakeley also attempted to create an edge any time he had the chance. For example, he loves telling how he approached Texas coach Abe Lemon seconds before tip-off of a January 1980 game and said, "It’s too bad about our oil wells," referring to an investment the two had made with a couple of other coaches. Lemon spent more time that night attempting to get Blakeley to tell him what was wrong with the oil wells — not knowing that his counterpart was yanking his chain — than coaching his team. The Longhorns blew a big lead before losing in overtime.

"He wouldn’t return my calls for three months," said Blakeley with a roar of laughter.

Blakeley also admits that he used to "accidentally" kick over a water bottle when he wanted to stop play without burning a timeout.

"Every fifth or sixth game that water bottle got tipsy for some reason and turned over," Blakeley said.

That water bottle was often viewed with suspicion during Blakeley’s coaching career. However, the conspiracy theories centered on its contents, not its tendency to tip over at convenient times.

"I was accused of having vodka in there, melted valiums, all kind of things," Blakeley said.

There was no truth to those accusations, Blakeley said. He was just a little more than slightly on the wacky side.

"You have to be crazy to be a basketball coach," he said. "I really and sincerely thought it gave me an edge."

It helped make him one of the winningest coaches in Mean Green history. And the most memorable.

[NT80]

Great article about Coach Blakeley. Half the fun of the games back then was watching him do something. He was a character, and it didn't hurt that his teams won 20+ games several seasons too. I'm lucky I went to NTSU when Bill Blakeley and Hayden Fry were coaching. Those were fantastic sports years for the Mean Green!

[CMJ]

Mom knew Coach Blakely rather well back in the day(was a beat reporter for the NT Daily). I grew up with stories of how great the man was.

[Buford_Julep]

Blakely always had good quotes for the newspapers. So did UTA coach Snake LeGrand. UTA-NTSU was an absolutely great rivalry back then. I remember a sellout crowd at the Gymatorium or whatever they call it at UTA.

I was and am a Blakely fan- but the core of his best teams- Terry Bailey, Carl Jones, Fred Mitchell, Melvin "Lurch" Davis and Ken Williams were all recruited by Gene Robbins, who had a record of 33-67 at NT.

[Marty]

Blakely also had 2 good assistants: Billy Tubbs and Jimmy Gales.

Those were great times for UNT basketball!

[IronMan4]

He’d dramatically pinch his nose or clutch his throat or pretend to hang himself with his necktie, making sure the men in the striped shirts caught his act. Sometimes he’d mock the officials, poking fun at the way they walked or talked.

I think it's great when my dad goes on and on about how great Blakely was, and turns right around and bemoans NBA players who argue with the ref.

Good old days fever.....Catch It!!!