Stu Inman
Stuart Kirk Inman (August 2, 1926 – January 30, 2007) was an American basketball player, coach and executive. He was selected in the sixth round of the 1950 NBA Draft from San Jose State University by the Chicago Stags; however, he did not play in the NBA.
 Inman, circa 1962 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 2, 1926 Alameda, California |
| Died | January 30, 2007 (aged 80) Tualatin, Oregon |
| Playing career | |
| 1947–1950 | San Jose State |
| Position(s) | Center/forward/guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1950–1951 | Madera HS |
| 1951–1953 | Roosevelt HS |
| 1953–1955 | Santa Ana CC |
| 1955–1957 | Orange Coast JC |
| 1957–1960 | San Jose State (asst.) |
| 1960–1966 | San Jose State |
| 1972 | Portland Trail Blazers (interim) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 77–68 (college) 6–20 (NBA) |
Early life and education
Inman played college basketball at San Jose State from 1947 to 1950. As a senior, he averaged 14.9 points.[1]
Coaching career
After graduating from San Jose State, Inman became head coach at Madera High School in Madera, California for a season, then was head coach at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Fresno from 1951 to 1953. He then moved up to the junior college level as head coach at Santa Ana City College from 1953 to 1955, then at Orange Coast Junior College from 1955 to 1957. From 1957 to 1960, Inman was an assistant coach at San Jose State before serving as head coach from 1960 to 1966.[2]
Executive career
In 1970, Inman was one of several people who started the expansion Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchise, and initially served as chief scout. He also served as interim coach at the end of the 1971–72 season, after Rolland Todd was fired midway through the season. Inman played a significant role in the building of Portland Trail Blazers' 1976–77 NBA championship team, acquiring Bill Walton, Geoff Petrie, Larry Steele, Lloyd Neal, Lionel Hollins, Bobby Gross, Wally Walker and Johnny Davis through the draft, signed Dave Twardzik after the American Basketball Association folded, and selected Maurice Lucas in the ABA dispersal draft. Inman later served as the team's general manager from 1981 through 1986.
Inman is probably best known for being the GM who selected oft-injured Kentucky center Sam Bowie with the number-two selection in the 1984 NBA Draft, one spot ahead of the Chicago Bulls who selected Michael Jordan, as the Blazers already had shooting guards Clyde Drexler and Jim Paxson on the roster and were in need of a center.
Inman served in the front office of the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat. He later served as an assistant coach at Lake Oswego High School.
He died at age 80 in Lake Oswego, Oregon of a heart attack.[3]
Head coaching record
College
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose State Spartans (West Coast Conference) (1960–1966) | |||||||||
| 1960–61 | San Jose State | 11–14 | 5–7 | 5th | |||||
| 1961–62 | San Jose State | 13–11 | 0–12 | 7th | |||||
| 1962–63 | San Jose State | 14–10 | 6–6 | T–4th | |||||
| 1963–64 | San Jose State | 14–10 | 6–6 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1964–65 | San Jose State | 14–10 | 9–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1965–66 | San Jose State | 11–13 | 7–7 | T–4th | |||||
| San Jose State: | 77–68 | 33–43 | |||||||
| Total: | 77–68 | ||||||||
References
- http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/F/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_College%20Division_1950_630_San%20Jose%20State%20University.pdf
- "Basketball great & former coach Stu Inman dies". San Jose State. January 31, 2007. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
- Stu Inman, 80; helped assemble Portland's NBA champion team
Additional sources
- Brian Meehan (Dec 14, 2006). "Blazers' Inman rubbed elbows with greatest". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on January 4, 2007.
- Mike Tokito (Jan 31, 2007). "Inman, builder of NBA title team, dies". The Oregonian. Archived from the original on February 4, 2007.