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Jud Heathcote

Loved watching his teams. Especially that group that should have beat UCLA. He began the revolving door for Grizzly coaches moving on to "greater" programs. Obviously a great coach and mentor to many other coaches.
 
RIP Jud. Condolences to the Heathcote family and close friends. Jud was a funny guy, and some of my favorites follow:

Bob Knight- "you know Jud you're the only friend I got in this business"
Jud Heathcote- "don't jump to conclusions Bob"

Best Jud line I ever heard:
"My wife, Beverly, and I just had a strobe light installed in our bedroom. Now it actually looks like we're moving when we're having sex."

Jud was a comic genius and Bev was often the topic of the joke.
" I took my wife to the Doctors office and he said she get more exercise. More exercise, I asked? What do you suggest? He said she should have sex 3 days a week. I asked, which days? He said Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. I told him I could get her here on Monday and Wednesday but I play golf on Saturdays."

The 1978 MSU basketball bust. Magic's freshman year. MSU had just won its first Big Ten title in 11 years. Jud was introduced to speak, and received an insane standing ovation.
Jud: Thank you. I just have to say, the last time I got a standing ovation was 2 years ago when it was announced I was leaving Montana to go to MSU. I was at a bar at the time. One guy stood and applauded, another guy fell off his stool, and the bartender cried because he knew he was losing my business.
 
When I saw this "Jud Heathcote" thread, my heart dropped. I knew what it meant. A tear? Definitely.

And knew of course what "Jud" meant to this program. He was to Montana basketball what Don Read was to Montana football. Not only did he start the Montana coaching tree and lead Montana to what nearly was one of the great upsets ever in college basketball against almighty UCLA, he recruited to Montana its best player ever, the legendary Micheal Ray Richardson. Then insisted that Micheal Ray stay at Montana, when he wanted to go wherever Jud was going.

But for all our reverence for him, remember this: Montana was good for him as well. The writer Scott Fitzgerald once said, "There are no second acts in American lives." But Jud did have a second act. It was his best act by far. And it all started with us.

Remember, he'd been a high school coach for 14 years and an assistant at Washington State under Marv Harshman for seven when he arrived here. He was 44 years old. Back then, before widespread TV coverage, and the incredible money and fame TV showered on college coaches with winning records, college coaches were sort of like tenured professors. Slats Gill at Oregon State, Marv Harshman at Washington State, even John Wooden at UCLA, all had long tenured positions, and endured losing years that would probably get them fired today. College coaching was not the musical chairs profession it is today, and so openings at the head position were much rarer. Montana took a real risk on a 44-year-old who'd never been a college head coach, and had no real ties to this state or this program, and provided him the platform to demonstrate his fabulous coaching skills.

All which left me a little baffled about Jud's reaction to Montana in the subsequent years. It seemed to me--and I'd be happy to be corrected in this opinion--that he sort of left us in the rear view mirror. There are those like myself who have lived away from Montana for years but retain a fierce loyalty and affection for the state, but I never sensed that Jud shared that feeling. The news is always about his ties to Michigan State, to Tom Izzo, even after retirement to Gonzaga and Mark Few and John Stockton, but little mention ever of Montana.

For those of you more in the know, I'd like to know: After his retirement, and except for the times he was asked back to speak, did he ever come back to attend games here? Or hang out? Maybe you don't do that if you're a legend. Maybe you just let the legend be. If so, I understand. But it remains my conviction that when it came to Montana, he was more than happy to leave behind the legend, absent the man.
 
citay = I don't know first-hand, but a biography about Jud and his career indicates that he loved Spokane and occasionally interacted with Missoula people (mainly Robin Selvig and a few others).

At UM, Jud's team had a student manager with last name "Ryan". He became famously known as "TF Ryan" because Jud would frequently yell out "where's that f-ing Ryan?". :lol:


http://www.desertsun.com/story/sports/columnists/shad-powers/2017/08/29/coach-jud-heathcotes-greatest-skill-he-mastered-art-making-you-feel-special/611735001/

https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Enews%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
Earvin Magic Johnson‏11 hours ago
My college Coach Jud Heathcote will be missed so much. He was a great man & basketball coach who truly cared about me on & off the court.
 
After he retired, Jud climbed onto the Zagnut bandwagon like everyone else.

He was coaching buddies with Dan Monson's dad going back to their Washington HS days.
 
While I can't say I knew him, i did meet Coach Heathcote on several occasions while I was a student at UM. Years later I ran into him at a restaurant in Spokane and he remembered who I was! We spoke for about 10 minutes and he fondly recalled his time at the University. I disagree that with the indication that he seemingly put UM in his rearview mirror. He may not have been outwardly vocal about his time hear, but I think that had more to do with the questions he received from interviewers than any perceived slight against the University or Missoula.

R.I.P. Coach! Rest well! You've earned it.
 
Here's an excellent story on Jud's impact on Montana basketball and basketball culture, written by Frank Gogola of the Missoulian. Good research & background and quotes from quite a few people most heavily influenced by the legendary coach. The final third of the story gives a hint... just a hint of the stuff that Jud did to get fans riled up about Montana basketball in the 70s.

http://406mtsports.com/college/basketball/men/jud-heathcote-built-up-montana-s-program-not-just-the/article_678366f6-e848-5c57-885a-59762bb94bc6.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=user-share

Here's one from the Great Falls Tribune, focusing upon Robin Selvig's relationship with Jud. Selvig played for and was briefly an assistant to Jud.

http://www.greatfallstribune.com/story/sports/2017/08/29/selvig-mourns-passing-coaching-mentor-heathcote/105099754/
 
Jud was the most entertaining basketball coach ever. I'm glad I got to experience his antics: stalking the refs, stamping his feet on the floor, taking off his jacket, throwing his jacket across the gym...he made Bobby Knight look like a piker.
 
good comments and some that are not so flattering

page 48 of the book "Jud : a magical journey"

"But Montana was kind of a different place ..."
 
AllWeatherFan said:
Jud was the most entertaining basketball coach ever. I'm glad I got to experience his antics: stalking the refs, stamping his feet on the floor, taking off his jacket, throwing his jacket across the gym...he made Bobby Knight look like a piker.

Remember watching an MSU game where his team was battling against half court pressure and trying to use clock. MSU guy got caught in the air and threw pass that ended up out of bounds in Heathcote's hands. Heathcote threw the ball down two handed in disgust and the ball came right back up and hit him in the face!
 
R I P Jud. Thank you for what you did at Montana. You started a coaching legacy that GRIZ NATION is proud of.
 
...jud day at m s u today...
...bestowed him the great honor...
...izzo awesome in spite of allegations...

... :cool: ...
 
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