Did you know that, among all of the head coaches in the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA) and managers in Major League Baseball (MLB), only one college or university in New York State has two head coaches/managers among its graduates? That's right; it's SUNY Brockport, with Orlando Magic (NBA) head coach Stan Van Gundy (1981) and Baltimore Orioles (MLB) manager Dave Trembley (1973).
This is Stan's second stint as an NBA head coach, having served previously with the Miami Heat. Dave was named in early June to succeed Sam Perlazzo and was rewarded for his interim success with a contract in August.
Nationally, among all of the major professional sports teams, only Indiana University (5), San Diego State (4), Southern California (3) and Eastern Illinois (3) have more alumni as head coaches than Brockport. The only other school in New York State with a graduate as a head coach is Syracuse University (Tom Coughlin of the New York Giants).
Below are the biographies of both Trembley and VanGundy as printed on their respective team websites:
The Orioles today announced that Dave Trembley's contract as manager has been extended through the 2008 season, with a club option for 2009.
Orioles President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail made the announcement at a news conference this afternoon in the Warehouse at Camden Yards.
The Orioles have a 29-25 record under Trembley, who began the season as Orioles bullpen coach before being named interim manager on June 18, replacing Sam Perlozzo. The interim title was removed and he was named manager for the 2007 season on July 31.
Trembley spent 22 years in professional baseball, including 20 years as a Minor League manager, before earning his first major league appointment as bullpen coach this year. The 55-year-old native of Carthage, NY, spent much of the first two months of the season working as bench coach in the absence of Tom Trebelhorn, who was tending to his wife's illness. In addition, Trembley served as the club's field coordinator, setting up pre-game workouts and batting practice schedules in Spring Training and during the regular season.
This is Trembley's fifth season in the Orioles organization. He spent the 2003-04 seasons as manager at AA Bowie before going to AAA Ottawa for the 2005-06 seasons, with an overall record of 285-284 in four seasons. In his first year with the Baysox, he was named winner of the Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award. Trembley compiled a 1369-1413 record as Minor League manager, winning two league titles and earning Manager of the Year awards in three leagues. In 1987, Baseball America named him Manager of the Year for all of Minor League baseball, and in 2001 that publication selected him as one of the minor's top five managers of the previous 20 years.
He began his professional career as a scout for the Chicago Cubs in 1984 after teaching and coaching in high school for three years and serving as a community college coach for five years, both in the Los Angeles area. He served as a scout and coach in 1985 before beginning his Minor League managing career with the independent Kinston team in the Carolina League in 1986 and has since managed in the Cubs, Pirates and Padres farm systems, in addition to the Orioles. He also spent a year as director of Pittsburgh's Minor League and Spring Training complex in Bradenton, FL.
In addition to Trembley, SUNY Brockport also boasts alum Stan VanGundy as a coach in the professional sports ranks:
In just two years as an NBA head coach, Stan Van Gundys list of accomplishments is quite impressive and continues to grow rapidly. Since being named the fifth head coach in franchise history and taking over the reigns from HEAT President Pat Riley on Oct. 24, 2003, Van Gundy has guided Miami to two postseason berths, a Southeast Division championship, 101 regular season wins and 17 postseason victories. The 17 postseason victories rank third in the NBA over the two-year period and the 101 regular season wins stand as the fifth highest mark in the league. Additionally, in each of his two years as a head coach he has guided the HEAT to a 17-win improvement over the previous season, making him only the second coach in NBA history to lead his team to at least 15-win improvements in consecutive years.
Following a legend in any business is tough, and in coaching circles there are few that measure up to Riley, a sure Hall-of-Famer. Van Gundy, however, has rewarded Rileys confidence in him and is developing his own legacy. In his two seasons he has guided two vastly different rosters and led each of those teams to at least the conference semifinals, only the third and fourth times in franchise history that the HEAT has advanced to the second round of the NBA Playoffs and the first time it has been accomplished in consecutive years. Last season he took the HEAT a step further, guiding Miami to the Eastern Conference Finals for only the second time in the teams history and came within several minutes of reaching the finals. His .607 postseason winning percentage ranks 10th on the NBAs all-time list and fourth among active coaches. Van Gundys 17 postseason wins rank second on Miamis all-time list, one behind Riley, and both his postseason and regular season (.616) winning percentages rank first in HEAT history. He has also guided Miami to its only two four-game postseason sweeps, eliminating both New Jersey and Washington in four games during the magical 2005 postseason run. The eight consecutive postseason victories established a franchise record.
His regular season success during the first half of the 2004-05 season earned him the honor of being named the head coach of the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the 2005 NBA All-Star Game in Denver. Van Gundy was the first Miami HEAT coach to serve as an All-Star head coach and guided the Eastern Conference All-Stars to a 10-point victory.
After an outstanding rookie year in which he took a team that had won 25 games the previous year, and with a couple of key additions, turned it into a 42-win playoff team, expectations where high for Van Gundy and the HEAT for the 2004-05 season. Those expectations rose even higher after Riley pulled off a blockbluster trade acquiring All-Star Shaquille ONeal. Van Gundy once again proved up to the challenge leading the HEAT, with 11 new players during the 2004-05 season, to a 59-23 record and earning the top record in the Eastern Conference. The 59 wins marked the second-best single-season total in franchise history and allowed the HEAT to capture the inaugural Southeast Division title by a whopping 14 games over its next closest competitor, the largest margin for any division winner in the NBA in 2004-05. In fact the 14-win edge over the second place division finisher was the largest in the NBA since the Chicago Bulls won the Central Division by 20 games over its next closest competitor in the 1995-96 season. One of the keys to Miamis success in 2004-05 was dominating its division rivals. The HEAT posted a 15-1 record and .938 winning percentage against Southeast Division foes, setting an NBA record in the process for best divisional record. The HEAT tied eventual NBA champion San Antonio for the second best overall record in the NBA in 2004-05.
Miamis 35-6 mark at home was the best in the Eastern Conference and second best in the league while its 24-17 road mark topped the Eastern Conference and ranked fifth in the league.
A three-time Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in his two seasons, Van Gundy received the league honor twice during the 2004-05 campaign. It didnt take long for Miamis new additions to accept the coachs philosophy and produce positive results. Van Gundy was tabbed the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in December after guiding the HEAT to a 14-1 record. The 14 wins and .933 winning percentage each set franchise records for a single month. Van Gundy also grabbed the honor in March after directing the HEAT to a 12-3 mark. Major winning streaks played a huge part in Van Gundy earning the monthly honors. The HEAT went on a franchise-record 14-game winning streak from Dec. 6-Jan. 1 and reeled off 12 straight victories from Feb. 26-Mar. 19. In the process, Van Gundys HEAT became the first Eastern Conference team with a pair of double-digit winning streaks in the same season since the 1995-96 NBA champion Chicago Bulls.
Although he has always emphasized defense first, Van Gundy also stressed the importance of teamwork and shot selection on the offensive end. During the 2004-05 campaign, the HEAT set a franchise-record by shooting 48.6 percent from the floor as a team, a +.061 improvement over the 2003-04 season. The +.061 improvement was easily tops in the league nearly doubling the next best improvement. Twelve of Miamis 14 players with at least one year of NBA experience improved their shooting percentage from the previous season, with five of those players establishing career highs. The effort translated on the scoreboard as the HEAT set a team record with 50 100-point games.
Defensively the team still remained one of the leagues best ranking first in blocked shots, fourth in field goal percentage defense and eighth in fewest points allowed per game.
Always known throughout the league for his work ethic and attention to detail, Van Gundy was put to the test early in his initial season after Riley decided to step down before the start of the season and give the team a new look. Although the announcement on October 24, 2003 might have come as a shock to most, the well-prepared Van Gundy was ready to tackle the challenge. He had spent the previous eight years, including six as the teams assistant head coach, sitting on the HEAT bench next to Riley, who ranks third all-time in NBA coaching victories. Despite a rash of injuries early and an unforgiving schedule which saw the HEAT drop its first seven contests, Van Gundy never panicked and showed the poise of a veteran as he guided the HEAT in the right direction and a 42-40 regular season mark. The 42 victories tied him with his predecessor Riley for the most by an individual in his first season as a HEAT head coach.
Van Gundys inaugural season as a head coach resulted in Miamis first playoff berth in three years. In the process the HEAT became just the fourth team since the NBA went to its current playoff format in 1983-84 to make the playoffs after starting the season with at least seven consecutive losses. He guided Miami to a 17-win improvement over the previous season, the second best single-season improvement in franchise history and the fourth best in the NBA from the 2002-03 season to the 2003-04 campaign. Not only did Van Gundy lead his team into the playoffs, but by virtue of its 17-4 record over the final 21 games of the 2003-04 season, the HEAT finished second in the Atlantic Division and with the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference, earning Miami homecourt advantage in its Opening Round playoff series against New Orleans.
In the postseason the HEAT defeated New Orleans, 4-3, in the Opening Round, making Van Gundy just the fourth rookie head coach in NBA history to win a decisive seventh game joining Paul Westphal (1993), Jerry West (1977) and Joe Mullaney (1970). He led the HEAT to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for just the third time in franchise history, before being eliminated in six games by the Indiana Pacers, the team which registered the best record in the NBA during the 2003-04 campaign. Along the way the HEAT won a franchise-record six consecutive home playoff games.
Individually, Van Gundy won Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors for March 2004 after leading the HEAT to an Eastern Conference best 12-3 record for the month. Miami entered the month of March ten games under .500 (25-35) and in eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings and closed the month one game under .500 (37-38) and in a three-way tie for fourth place. The 12 victories Van Gundy guided Miami to at the time tied for the second highest monthly total in HEAT history, one shy of the franchise record set in February of 1998 (13-2). The club also won a season-high seven consecutive games from Mar. 12-26, Miamis longest winning streak since a seven-game winning streak from Mar. 28-Apr. 9, 2000. The seven-game winning streak gave Van Gundy the franchises longest winning streak by a head coach in his first season guiding the HEAT.
Two areas that Van Gundy has continually stressed that the HEAT need to be strong in are on the defensive end of the floor and at home. His teams have delivered in both areas.
The HEAT has finished eighth in scoring defense in both years under Van Gundy, marking ten consecutive years Miami has placed in the top 10 in the league. Under Van Gundy the HEAT have returned as one of the more dominant homecourt teams in the NBA. After recording a combined 34 victories at home during the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, Miami has won 78 percent of its regular season games played at the AmericanAirlines Arena under Van Gundy, producing a 64-18 home mark. Included among the 64 wins is a franchise-record 18-game home winning streak from Jan. 21, 2005-Apr. 5, 2005. The HEAT finished 35-6 at home during the 2004-05 regular season to set a franchise record for home victories in a season. In Van Gundys first season the HEAT finished with a 29-12 record at home. The 29 victories are tied for the fourth best single-season mark in franchise history. The HEATs 29 home victories during the 2003-04 season were 13 more than the previous year, easily smashing its previous best improvement over an 82-game season. In postseason play, Van Gundys teams have produced a 12-3 home record, including a franchise-record six-game home winning streak during the 2004 Playoffs.
The 46-year-old Van Gundy came to the HEAT in 1995 after serving as head coach at the University of Wisconsin. Before his tenure as the head coach with the Badgers, he was an assistant at UW under current NBA Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson. Van Gundy began his coaching career as an assistant coach at the University of Vermont, 1981-83, and was head coach at Castleton State College (VT) for three seasons.
After assistant coaching stints at Canisius College in 1987 and Fordham University in 1988, Van Gundy was named head coach at Massachusetts-Lowell and spent four seasons there before being hired at Wisconsin. In eight years as a college head coach, Van Gundy compiled a record of 135-92 (.535).
A native of Indio, CA, the affable Van Gundy has been around the game of basketball his entire life. Growing up he often went on scouting trips with his father, Bill, a successful college coach, and went on to become a star guard at Alhambra High School. He played in college for his father at SUNY-Brockport, where he was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the entire SUNY system as a senior. Van Gundy graduated from SUNY-Brockport in 1981 with a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Physical Education. His father also served as head basketball coach at Genesee Community College in Batavia, N.Y before retiring and moving down to Florida. Jeff Van Gundy, Stans younger brother and current head coach of the Houston Rockets, is entering his tenth year as an NBA head coach. Prior to taking over the coaching reigns of the Rockets in 2003, Jeff was the head coach of the New York Knicks from 1996-2001, where he also worked under the tutelage of Pat Riley from 1991-95. On Nov. 11, 2003, Stan and Jeff Van Gundy became just the second pair of brothers to face one another as NBA head coaches joining Herb and Larry Brown who first accomplished the feat in 1977.
Van Gundy, an avid baseball fan, resides in Miami with his wife Kim and their four children, Shannon (14), Michael (11), Alison (9) and Kelly (6).
