Dick Motta
Motta in 1971
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 3, 1931 Midvale, Utah |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Jordan (Sandy, Utah) |
| College | Utah State |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 1962–1968 | Weber State |
| 1968–1976 | Chicago Bulls |
| 1976–1980 | Washington Bullets |
| 1980–1987 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1990–1991 | Sacramento Kings |
| 1994–1996 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 1996–1997 | Denver Nuggets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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John Richard "Dick" Motta (born September 3, 1931) is a former basketball coach whose career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) spanned 25 years, and he continues to rank among the NBA's all-time top 10 in coaching victories.
After graduating from Utah State University, Motta started coaching at Grace, Idaho, where he taught seventh grade and coached for two years before being drafted in the armed services. He once said in an interview that winning the 1959 Idaho state high school championship was his greatest thrill as a coach, even topping the NBA championship he won two decades later.
Motta coached at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah in the 1960s. Under the direction of Motta and assistant coach Phil Johnson, Weber State won three Big Sky championships. The first Big Sky Championship the duo experienced while at Weber State was in 1965.
Motta was hired as head coach of the Chicago Bulls in 1968 after a six-year stint at Weber State University. From 1970 to 1974 he led the Bulls to four consecutive seasons of 50 wins or more, winning the NBA Coach of the Year Award in 1971.
In 1976, Motta left the Bulls to coach the Washington Bullets, with whom he won an NBA Championship in 1978. After two more seasons with the Bullets, he became the first coach of the Dallas Mavericks, whom he led to a 55–27 record in 1986–87. Motta also served with the Sacramento Kings and Denver Nuggets before retiring in 1997.
Motta holds the unique distinction of being one of the very few coaches in the NBA who never played either high school, college or pro basketball.
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