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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 21, 1971)
No more ‘sit down Steve ’ Belko quits coaching career Il> KTKVK SMITH Of Ihf Knirrald "Sit down Steve," the favorite cry of many an Oregon basketball fan. will no longer jangle the rafters of McArthur Court when the going get* rough for the Fighting Ducks Steve Belko. Oregon's durable "huggy I Mints" roach is retiring and there is little doubt that Duck basketball will ever be the same Belko, 55. has served as Oregon coach for 15 years, longer than any other basketball coach in the school s history During his tenure, hr- compiled a 17V 211 record, much of it In Pacific-it con ference generally regarded as the • toughest conference in collegiate basketball "I want to thank all of my friends that I have made over the years in tin* State of Oregon,” Itelko said "I am now looking forward to another challenge in college athletic administration and the op portunity of working with Athletic Director Norv Hitchey "I believe that the Oregon basketball pn>gram is back on solid footing and 1 want to wish the best of luck and good fortune to my successor ” Hitchey was lavish in his praise of the retiring coach "Steve Kelko has given the University 15 years of dedicated service I have known of Steve's desire to move out of active coaching and 1 am very pleased that he will be in the department through the next year to assist me in the ad ministration of our athletic program " Helko's retirement from coaching did not come as a surprise Iaist fall he was named as a finalist in the* search for a new commissioner for the Big Sky Athletic Conference, and it has been widely rumored he was seeking an administrative position Betko has received numerous national honors dunng his tenure at Oregon He served for six years as a member of the important basketball rules committee, and is currently serving as first vice president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, and as a board member of the Basketball Hall of Fame In the last three years, Belko has brought Oregon back to basketball respectability w ith players like Stan l.ove, Larry Holliday and Bill Drozdiak In a coaching career highlighted by two NCAA tourney teams in 1960 and 1961, perhaps hts biggest win came last year when Oregon beat number one rated UCLA in a bam buster at Mac Court. The Oregon coach began his athletic career as a prep basketball player in Cary. Indiana, later playing junior college bail at Compton, California. Junior College in 1935-36 He then transferred to the University of Idaho, where, as a guard, he placed among the top five scorers in the Northern Division in both the 1937 and 1938 seasons He was named to the division all-star team twice. Belko served as head high school coach from 1939-42, then joined the Navy. Upon discharge he served as an assistant coach at the University of Idaho until accepting the head coaching position at Idaho State in 1950 In six seasons, he transformed the Staters from an also-ran to a consistent title contender In his last four seasons his teams won the Rocky Mountain Con ference championship and moved into the NCAA regional tourney He compiled a six year record of 108-52 with Idaho State before moving to Oregon in 1956 New head coach boasts top Ivy League record My STKVK SMITH l>l Ihr I- run aid l( Stevr fieiko* retirement .is head basket hull couch at Oregon constitute* t !»«• end of mi era then the arrival of Duk Hurter Nhoalit rank ax u begin rung Harter is currently ttead couch .it the l 'diversity of Penn sylvanlu Ttwit l». lie wax couch until TUeaday afternoon wtien both Ik* a rut (hr Penn ad ininiNtration announced he wax moving to Oregon to fill itelko'x pout I'nivenuty athletic depart inent officials declined to make (tie appointment official until late Tuesday alterniMHi Hut in making (he an nouncrnienl athletic director Nor\ Kltchey said "I trad tliat mir search tor a head tiuNkethall coach has produces! the lc^) young coach in America, not only in term* of winning, but also his closeness to hix players his style of play his moral integrity and Husky crews sweep mret Washington x crews rowed to wet amt wnuts victory Saturday at Dexter la»ke winning the v a no Is junior varsity and fresh man competition handily The (wirlisan I to Washington! crowd rexjuaided each time an um untested Husky crew rowed precision like jwist the dock The l iregiai i rew» n*tk fourth plave in twrih the varsity amt junior varsitv competition hut coach Dave Thomsen is " optimistic" twsauM* Oregon s varsity gave Oregon State a real tvattk* lor third place Stanford s JV s were upset hy Oregon Stair b* second (dace Both oregiai amt Oregon State could not enter the freshman competition tor lack of (resh man Washington coach Dick Knciaw was pleased with his i rew I»ut said hr could not gel a true evaluation at his progress toward another national championship Hr said (hr wind influenced his times and (hat tiHween thr J \ and \ arsity races the wind changed UK> degrees IW«» K his tielirf (hut hard work and Irani discipline provide results ” All words aside, the ap poinUnerit of Harter could be the collegiate sports coup of the year Harter's I’ennsyl vama (Quakers are coming off the most successful season ever recorded by an Ivy league basketball squad With a 28 1 record, Penn reached tin* finals of the Kustern rrgiouals of the NCAA tourney, losing to Vlllanovit in (hut final round The ai consecutive victories before that loss, ami the 44 consecutive conference victories compiled by the Quakers over two sea son*. are records un matched in Ivy league history Harter graduated from Penn in n*f>:t. sixth man on an NCAA regional team Following six yean with the Marine Corps he returned to his alma mater as an assistant basketball coach lirgan al lt)drr His lirsl head coaching job was at It>tier College in Trenton. New Jersey for the ttMiS 6fi season Hut Harter stayed with Itvder fur only tlut one season, telunimg to Penn in HMiti as head coach Hr really turned our program around." sports in formation director Herb Hartm*t( soul Tlnwday "He compiled a 30 :tt record his first two years, twit in tliat third season everything came logcihcr Penns tin record was onl\ IN to t*ot the Quakers were hy league champs amt Hart nett (wants to an eight game wliming sireak at thr etui of the season as an indication of things to come In !**«• Ai the Quakers went : losing to Niagara and Calvin Murphy m tie- NCAA regional* With all tixe starters back. Harter expected and got. a tK-tter record l (or HTTP 71 Ptass man to man Penn was in the tup IS in the nation defensively Hartnett said I tarter (day* a tough man to man defense Hr s only gone to a .-one once in threr soar* and that was against Niagara when we tried to dap Murphy We lust Offensively, last year’s version of tin* Quakers averaged H2 points a game, best in the school's history, while holding opponents to just over 60 “I decided to move to Oregon for four reasons." Harter told the Daily Pennsylvanian Tuesday. "I was looking for a school with an excellent chance for the NCAA title year in and year out, and you can't find such a school in the ivy league 1 was looking for a good locale for my family and for recruiting 1 wanted a school that was sound academically And I am convinced the Pacific-8 can offer the same type of players I want." Harter, married and the father of five children, was characterized as a tough disciplinarian in a January feature in Sports Illustrated Said si Harter, an ex Marine officer, believes so strongly in discipline and pays such attention to detail that the legging s on his players' warmup (•ants must be snapped shut right down to tile shoe tops No loose (laps will bo tolerated " The story continued. "As might tic expected, lie is a neat hair man His own is so short it would md ruffle in a typhoon, but tie allows his men to have neat sideburns and mustaches " Interested in ttse NAVY? Naval information team will be on campus April 70 73 EMU Room to be posted Steve Belko’s Oregon Record YEAR Won Lost PF PA Pet. 1956- 57 4 21 1,485 1,712 .160 1957- 58 13 11 1.544 1,557 542 1958 59 9 16 1,574 1,681 360' 1959- 60 19 10 1,760 1.669 .655 1960- 61 15 12 1,640 1,616 .556 1961- 62 9 17 1,666 1,813 346 1962- 63 11 15 1,636 1,717 423 1963- 64 14 12 1,796 1,760 .538 1964- 65 9 17 1,733 1,899 346 1965- 66 13 13 1,752 1,772 500 1966- 67 9 17 2,083 2,001 654 '■'67 68 7 19 1 665 1758 346 1,,,»-«B 13 13 1,770 1,963 . 500 1969 70 17 9 1,893 1,951 653 1970 71 17 9 2,017 1,874 653 TOTAIJ* 179 211 72,047 68.600 .465 Belkos All-Americans: Chuck Rask. guard, 1960; Charlie Warren, forward. 1962; Jim Barnett, guard, 1966; Stan Ixive, center. 1970-71 V 1 I* ' \ " £MERALD_= 1.'*r*rV ff LaMars Presents Stcftk & IfBg \ All You Can i* Eat & Drink 4^ 1 DINNERS INCLUDE SALAD. ONE USDA CHOICE STEAK. POTATO. GARLIC BREAD. BEVERAGE AND DESSERT NIGHTLY 5 9 ill * 8th & Willamette iV Phone 342-1883
