Don Knodel obit

Former Rice Basketball Coach Don Knodel Passes Away 

He was not on the list.

HOUSTON, Texas — Former Rice men's basketball coach Don Knodel has passed away in Houston, Texas at the age of 95.

Knodel came to Rice in March of 1966 when he replaced George Carlisle as head coach of the Rice men's team. Known as "The Silent K," Knodel took over a team that had won just three games in the previous two seasons. After several years of steady improvement, he led the Owls to their first Southwest Conference title since 1954 and a berth in the 1970 NCAA Tournament.

During Knodel's tenure, Rice had two players named All-Southwest Conference. Greg Williams was named the 1969 Southwest Conference Player of the Year while Gary Reist was named All-SWC in back-to-back seasons (1970 and 1971). Knodel's 77 victories rank sixth all-time at Rice.

Knodel left Rice in 1974, eventually moving into the professional ranks when he took over the Houston Angels of the Women's Professional Basketball League. He was named the Coach of the Year after leading them to the championship in 1978-79, the league's first season.

He returned to South Main in April of 1999 as the Executive Director of the "R" Association and oversaw that organization's growth and development over the next 12 years. He was inducted to the Rice Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

A member of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, Knodel was a key player at Hamilton High School in the late 1940s before accepting a scholarship to Miami (Ohio). From 1951-53, Knodel was named to the All-MAC team and was the squad's second-leading scorer each season while helping the team to a pair of league titles.

 

Funeral arrangements are pending at this time.

 

Playing career

1950–1953      Miami (OH)

Coaching career (HC unless noted)

1955–1956      Miami (OH) (assistant)

1961–1966      Vanderbilt (assistant)

1966–1974      Rice

1978–1980      Houston Angels

Head coaching record

Overall            77–126

Tournaments    0–1 (NCAA)