Flip Saunders obit

Longtime NBA Coach Flip Saunders Dies At Age 60

He was not on the list.

Longtime NBA coach and Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders has died.

He was 60 years old, and had been undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma over the past few months.

The Timberwolves organization announced Saunders' passing via Twitter Sunday afternoon.

In a statement, the team's owner Glen Taylor said the organization was "devastated" by Saunders' passing.

"Flip was a symbol of strength, compassion, and dignity for our organization. He was a shining example of what a true leader should be, defined by his integrity and kindness to all he encountered.

"Today is not a day to reflect on Flip's accomplishments in basketball or what he brought to us as an organization on the court, but rather to indicate what he meant to us as a co-worker, friend, member of the community and the basketball world at large."

Saunders, who over his nearly two decades as a head coach hauled in more than 650 career victories, is best known as the head coach of the Timberwolves, but also had a successful run with the Detroit Pistons from 2005-2008, where he took that team to three straight appearances in the Eastern Conference Finals.

He also coached the Washington Wizards and worked as an ESPN analyst in between coaching gigs.

As ESPN reports, Saunders "was in the process of a major rebuilding effort" with the Timberwolves that also included the building of a new practice facility and renovations at the team's arena, the Target Center.

"Saunders first became an NBA coach in 1996 with the Timberwolves, replacing Bill Blair, and eventually led the team to eight straight playoff appearances. A standout offensive coach, Saunders specialized in coaching point guards.

"But perhaps the player he had the greatest impact on was a big man, a wiry kid who came straight from high school in 1995 named Kevin Garnett. Under Saunders' tutelage, Garnett developed into one of the best players in the NBA and eventually an MVP."

Born Philip Daniel Saunders, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports, Saunders received the nickname "Flip" from his mother — a former beautician who heard a customer in the salon refer to her older son Greg by the moniker. But it stuck to her younger son more or less his entire life.

The Star Tribune also reports:

"Long after he was deemed too small to make it big in the sport he so loved, Flip Saunders rose from collegiate-playing and professional-coaching careers to become one of the most powerful team executives in the entire National Basketball Association during his second time around with the Timberwolves.

"He returned to Minnesota full-time to run the Wolves basketball operations in May 2013, more than eight years after friend and former college coach Kevin McHale fired him as coach the first time around.

"Saunders is by a lopsided margin the winningest coach in franchise history — with a 654-592 record in nearly 11 full seasons — and is the only man to coach the team into the playoffs ..."

Saunders began his coaching career at Golden Valley Lutheran College where he compiled a 92–13 record, including a perfect 56–0 mark at home, in four seasons. In 1981, he became an assistant coach at his alma mater, Minnesota, and helped guide the Golden Gophers to the Big Ten championship that season. After five seasons at Minnesota, he became an assistant coach at the University of Tulsa where he worked for two seasons before heading to the pro ranks.

Saunders became the coach of the Rapid City Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) in the 1988–89 season, where future Kings and Warriors head coach Eric Musselman served as the team's general manager. Musselman's father, Bill Musselman, had recruited Flip when Bill was head coach at the University of Minnesota.

Saunders then later moved to the La Crosse Catbirds for five seasons (1989–94), where he won two CBA Championships, before coaching in 1994–95 with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He also served as general manager (1991–93) and team president (1991–94) of the Catbirds. Saunders' impressive CBA tenure included seven consecutive seasons of 30 or more victories, two CBA championships (1990, 1992), two CBA Coach of the Year honors (1989, 1992) and 23 CBA-to-NBA player promotions.

Saunders would leave after seven productive seasons as a head coach in the CBA, where he ranks second with 253 career victories.

Some of his former players and basketball associates include: Joe Smith, Tom Gugliotta, Christian Laettner, Spud Webb, Michael Williams, Charles Smith, Isaiah Rider, Andrew Lang, Terry Porter, Stephon Marbury, Sam Mitchell, Doug West, Cherokee Parks, Tom Hammonds, Stanley Roberts, Anthony Peeler, Greg Ballard, Dennis Scott, Malik Sealy,  Bobby Jackson, Terrell Brandon, Dean Garrett, Wally Szczerbiak, Todd Day, Rasho Nesterović, LaPhonso Ellis, Chauncey Billups, Robert Pack, Jerry Sichting, Kendall Gill, Rod Strickland, Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell, Ervin Johnson, Michael Olowokandi, Fred Hoiberg, Randy Wittman, Trenton Hassell, Eddie Griffin, Sidney Lowe, Joe Dumars, Bill Davidson, Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Richard Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Lindsey Hunter, Antonio McDyess, Dale Davis, Tony Delk, Igor Kokoškov, Chris Webber, Nazr Mohammed, Theo Ratliff, Abe Pollin, Mike miller, Gilbert Arenas, Josh Howard, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Gene Banks, Earl Boykins, Ted Leonsis, Nick Young, Rashard Lewis, John Wall, Jordan Crawford, Andray Blatche, Kirk Hinrich, Andrew Wiggins, Shabazz Muhammad, Kevin Martin, Gorgui Dieng and Zach LaVine.

 Career information

High school            Cuyahoga Heights

(Cuyahoga Heights, Ohio)

College            Minnesota (1973–1977)

Coaching career   1977–2015

Career history

As coach:

1977–1981            Golden Valley Lutheran

1981–1986            Minnesota (assistant)

1986–1988            Tulsa (assistant)

1988–1989            Rapid City Thrillers

1989–1994            La Crosse Catbirds

1994–1995            Sioux Falls Skyforce

1995–2005            Minnesota Timberwolves

2005–2008            Detroit Pistons

2009–2012            Washington Wizards

2014–2015            Minnesota Timberwolves

Career highlights and awards

2× NBA All-Star Game head coach (2004, 2006)

2× CBA Coach of the Year (1990, 1992)