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Former NBA coach Doug Moe has died, his son David announced Tuesday. He was 87 years old.
David informed several of the coach’s friends that his father had died after a long battle with cancer.
Longtime Denver television personality Ron Zappolo also confirmed his death to the Associated Press. Moe was an ABA original and gained fame during an eventful and irreverent decade as coach of the Denver Nuggets in the 1980s.
In a tribute to Moe posted on social media, the Nuggets remembered Moe as a “one-of-a-kind leader and individual who led one of the most successful and exciting decades in Nuggets history.”
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FILE – Former Denver Nuggets head coach Doug Moe pleads with his team during a timeout in the final seconds of an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets in May 1986. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, file)
In 15 seasons as a head coach, Moe worked with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. He never won a title – his most memorable run came in 1985 when his best Denver team fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1988.
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More than for his wins and losses, Moe will be remembered for his move attack and for the equally entertaining shows he put on while prowling the bench during his coaching years. His Denver teams led the league in scoring for five straight seasons in the early 1980s, and he rarely executed a set play.
FILE – Retired Denver Nuggets head coach Doug Moe stands next to his retired number during the team’s 50th anniversary celebration before the second half of an NBA basketball game, Oct. 21, 2017, in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, file)
The Nuggets bench, as well as the 10 rows behind it, was no place for children, but a few hours later Moe would find himself at the bar or cafe with many of those same players he had skinned, often wondering himself where that rude man on the bench had come from.
“Sometimes I think I have a Jekyll and Hyde personality. I clown around a lot before and after a match, but once the match starts, my emotions take over,” Moe said in a 1983 interview with The New York Times.
Denver Nuggets assistant coach Doug Moe works without suspended head coach Goerge Karl in the first half against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets November 30, 2005 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Years before John Elway came along, Moe was Denver’s biggest sports figure. Zappolo, the sportscaster, said there was an adorable teddy bear behind the game-day bluster.
“I don’t know if there’s ever been a more prominent sports figure in Denver, not only because of his success, but also his color and his kindness,” Zappolo said. “There are a lot of people walking around today who feel like they’re Doug’s best friend.”
Moe insisted he never wanted a head coaching job – he didn’t want to work that hard – but Larry Brown persuaded him to take a job in San Antonio. With the help of George Gervin, Moe won the division twice and reached a conference final in four seasons with the Spurs.
Moe finished his head coaching career with an unsuccessful stint in Philadelphia that lasted less than a season before returning to Denver in supporting roles, including a return to the bench as an assistant to George Karl.
