William Charles Fitch was an American professional basketball coach in the National Basketball Association.
19 Facts About Bill Fitch
1.
2.
Bill Fitch developed multiple teams into playoff contenders and won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 1981.
3.
Bill Fitch won the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, and was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
4.
Bill Fitch coached at four universities: the University of Minnesota, Bowling Green State University, the University of North Dakota, and his alma mater, Coe College.
5.
Bill Fitch led North Dakota to three NCAA Division II men's basketball tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 1966.
6.
In 1996, Bill Fitch was named one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History.
7.
In 2016, Bill Fitch was honored with an honorary bench by the Hall of Fame, which surrounds a statue of James Naismith along with other granite benches in honor of great coaches, all made possible through a $150,000 donation by Rick Carlisle.
8.
Bill Fitch had become the leading scorer for the team, but a serious knee injury curtailed Cleveland's hopes for a playoff berth.
9.
Bill Fitch was awarded the NBA Coach of the Year Award at the end of the season.
10.
Bill Fitch led the team to two more playoff berths, although they did not win either series.
11.
Bill Fitch helped lead the Celtics to 61 wins along with an Atlantic Division title.
12.
Bill Fitch won his second Coach of the Year Award after the season.
13.
Bill Fitch's team won 62 games along with a second Atlantic title.
14.
On June 1,1983, Bill Fitch was hired by the Houston Rockets, taking over for Del Harris, who had managed the team to 14 wins the previous season.
15.
Bill Fitch's following two seasons led to playoff berths, although they did not advance past the Conference Semi-finals.
16.
Two days after the season ended, Bill Fitch was fired on April 20,1998.
17.
Bill Fitch was born in Davenport, Iowa, on May 19,1932.
18.
Bill Fitch attended Coe College, where he played basketball and baseball and graduated in 1954 with a degree in physical education.
19.
Bill Fitch died in Lake Conroe, Texas, on February 2,2022, at the age of 89.