List of Indiana Pacers head coaches
Encyclopedia
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
are an American professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team based in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. The Pacers play in the Central Division
Central Division (NBA)
The Central Division is one of the three divisions in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . The division consists of five teams, the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Detroit Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and the Milwaukee Bucks...
of the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
in the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). The team began playing in 1967 as a charter member of the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
(ABA), and joined the NBA as part of the ABA-NBA merger
ABA-NBA merger
The ABA–NBA merger was the merger of the American Basketball Association with the National Basketball Association, which after multiple attempts over several years finally occurred in 1976.- Origins of ABA-NBA competition :...
. The team has played their home games at the Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse
Conseco Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. Opened in November 1999 to replace Market Square Arena, it is home to the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association and the Indiana Fever of the Women's National Basketball Association...
since the 1999–2000 NBA season. The Pacers are owned by Herbert and Melvin Simon, and David Morway
David Morway
David Morway is the current general manager of the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association, having been promoted by Larry Bird, current President of Basketball Operations, on May 7, 2009 after the departure of long-time CEO and President Donnie Walsh. Previously, Morway had served as...
is their general manager.
There have been 14 head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
es for the Pacers franchise. The franchise's first head coach was Larry Staverman
Larry Staverman
Larry Joseph Staverman was an American professional basketball player and coach. A 6' 7" forward from Villa Madonna College , Staverman was drafted in the 9th round of the 1958 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals...
, who coached for two seasons. Bobby Leonard is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular season games coached (985), the most regular season game wins (529), the most playoff games coached (116), and the most playoff game wins (69). Leonard is also the only coach to win an ABA championship with the Pacers, with 3 (1970, 1972, 1973). Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
, who coached three seasons with the Pacers, is the Pacers' all-time leader for the highest winning percentage
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
with .687. Bird is also the only coach to win an NBA Eastern Conference championship with the Pacers, but lost the 2000 NBA Finals
2000 NBA Finals
The 2000 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1999-2000 National Basketball Association season. The Los Angeles Lakers of the Western Conference took on the Indiana Pacers of the Eastern Conference for the title, with the Lakers holding home court advantage...
against the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
. Mel Daniels
Mel Daniels
Melvin Joe Daniels is a retired American professional basketball player.A 6' 9" center, he played for the University of New Mexico Lobo men's basketball team from 1964-67...
is the only Pacers coach to have coached less than one season. Jack Ramsay
Jack Ramsay
Jack T. Ramsay is an American former basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" . He is best known for coaching the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA Title, and for his broadcasting work with the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, and for ESPN TV and ESPN Radio...
and Larry Brown
Larry Brown (basketball)
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" Brown is an American basketball coach and former player. He most recently served as head coach of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Bobcats....
are the only Pacers' coaches to be elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach. Ramsay was also named one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history. Jack McKinney
Jack McKinney (basketball)
Jack McKinney is a former college and professional basketball coach. He has served as head coach for three NBA teams--the Los Angeles Lakers, the Indiana Pacers, and the Kansas City Kings...
and Larry Bird
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...
have won the NBA Coach of the Year Award
NBA Coach of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966...
, in and respectively, with the Pacers. Dick Versace
Dick Versace
Dick Versace is a former basketball coach and National Basketball Association executive. He's also the first person of Puerto Rican descent to have coached an NBA team.-Early years:...
and Bird have spent their entire NBA coaching careers with the Pacers. Frank Vogel
Frank Vogel
Frank Vogel is head coach for the Indiana Pacers of the NBA. Vogel has previously served as a scout for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards. Vogel was also an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics....
was named interim head coach after Jim O'Brien was fired midway through the 2010–11 season
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
.
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Key
| GC | Games coached |
| W | Wins |
| L | Losses |
| Win% | Winning percentage Winning percentage In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win... |
| # | Number of coaches |
| * | Spent entire NBA head coaching career with the Pacers |
| Elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach |
Coaches
| # | Name | Term | GC | W | L | Win% | GC | W | L | Win% | Achievements | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||
| 11 | 1967–1968 | 87 | 40 | 47 | .460 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .000 | |||
| 22 | 1968– | 985 | 529 | 456 | .537 | 116 | 69 | 47 | .595 | 3 ABA Championships (1970, 1972, 1973) | ||
| 33 | – | 328 | 125 | 203 | .381 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | NBA Coach of the Year NBA Coach of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966... |
||
| 44 | – | 164 | 48 | 116 | .293 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 55 | – | 171 | 79 | 92 | .462 | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | One of the top 10 coaches in NBA history | ||
| 66 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 7— | 20 | 6 | 14 | .300 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 87 | * | – | 160 | 73 | 87 | .456 | — | — | — | — | ||
| 98 | – | 221 | 113 | 108 | .511 | 12 | 3 | 9 | .250 | |||
| 109 | – | 328 | 190 | 138 | .579 | 38 | 22 | 16 | .579 | |||
| 1110 | * | – | 214 | 147 | 67 | .687 | 52 | 32 | 20 | .615 | NBA Coach of the Year NBA Coach of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Coach of the Year is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1962–63 NBA season. The winner receives the Red Auerbach Trophy, which is named in honor of the head coach who led the Boston Celtics to nine NBA Championships from 1956 to 1966... |
|
| 1211 | – | 246 | 131 | 115 | .533 | 15 | 5 | 10 | .333 | |||
| 1312 | – | 328 | 181 | 147 | .552 | 35 | 18 | 17 | .514 | |||
| 1413 | – | 290 | 121 | 169 | .417 | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1514 | –present | 38 | 20 | 18 | .526 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .200 | |||