Leon Barmore
| Sport(s) | Women's basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
June 3, 1944 Ruston, Louisiana |
| Playing career | |
| 1965–1967 | Louisiana Tech |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1967–1971 | Bastrop HS |
| 1971–1977 | Ruston HS |
| 1977–1980 | Louisiana Tech (asst.) |
| 1980–1982 | Louisiana Tech (assoc. HC) |
| 1982–1985 | Louisiana Tech (co-HC) |
| 1985–2002 | Louisiana Tech |
| 2008–2011 | Baylor (asst.) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 576–87 (.869) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| NCAA Division I Women's Basketball champions (1988) 3× American South champions (1988–1990) 4× American South Tournament champions (1988–1991) 9× Sun Belt champions (1993–2001) 7× Sun Belt Tournament champions (1994, 1996–2001) WAC champions (2002) WAC Tournament champions (2002) |
|
| Awards | |
| Naismith Women's College Coach of the Year Award (1988) USBWA National Coach of the Year Award (1996) 4× American South Coach of the Year (1988–1991) 6× Sun Belt Coach of the Year (1993, 1994, 1996–1999) Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (2004) Louisiana Tech Athletic Hall of Fame (2003) Ark-La-Tex Sports Museum of Champions (2008) |
|
| Records | |
| 2nd Best winning percentage in basketball history (.869) | |
|
Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2003 |
|
| Women's Basketball Hall of Fame | |
William Leon Barmore (born June 3, 1944) is a college women's basketball coach best known for his 35-year association with the Louisiana Tech University Lady Techsters. After five years as an assistant coach, he served as head coach from 1982 to 2002, serving the first three years as co-head coach with Sonja Hogg, who had begun the program in 1974. Upon his retirement, Barmore's .869 winning percentage was the best in major college basketball history (both men's and women's).
Barmore was born June 3, 1944 in Ruston, Louisiana to Jasper Barmore and Flora McCurry. He earned All-State honors as a basketball player at Ruston High School, helping his team to two state championships. He went on to play basketball at Louisiana Tech, serving as captain of the team and earned Gulf States All-Conference honors. In his first coaching job after graduation, he coached the boys basketball team at Bastrop High School where his teams recorded a record of 84–41. In 1971, he moved to his alma mater Ruston High School, where he remained until 1977, and coached the team to a record of 148–49.
Barmore joined the Louisiana Tech staff in 1977, nominally as Hogg's top assistant. In truth, Barmore handled nearly all game strategy. He was named associate head coach in 1980 and co-head coach in 1982. He took over the reins full-time in 1985, when Hogg left Ruston.
In 20 years as either co-head coach or head coach, Barmore never suffered a losing season and only failed to win 20 games once. He tallied an amazing 13 30-plus win campaigns while also coaching the Lady Techsters to 20 straight NCAA Tournaments, nine Final Fours (including eight in a row from 1983 to 1990), five national championship games and the 1988 national title. He also led Tech to 13 regular season titles in 15 years as a member of either the American South, Sun Belt or Western Athletic conferences, including 10 in a row from 1992 to 2002. When Barmore coached Tech to a 31-5 mark in 2000-01, he became the first coach in Division I college basketball history to record six straight 30-plus win seasons. He was the fastest to reach 450 victories, achieving that accomplishment in 520 games.
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