Don Flanagan

Donald Elliott Flanagan (born November 29, 1943)[1][2] is an American retired basketball coach. From 1995 to 2011, Flanagan was head coach of the University of New Mexico women's basketball team.

Don Flanagan
Biographical details
Born (1943-11-29) November 29, 1943
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Playing career
1967–1971Fort Lewis
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1971–1973Coronado HS (boys')
1973–1975Pawcatuck MS (boys')
1975–1979Window Rock HS (boys')
1979–1995Eldorado HS
1995–2011New Mexico
Head coaching record
Overall340–168 (.669) (college)
Tournaments3–8 (NCAA)
5–5 (WNIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
  • 5× MW Tournament (2003–2005, 2007, 2008)
  • 2× MW regular season (2004, 2005)
  • WAC Tournament (1998)
  • WAC Pacific Division (1999)
  • 11× NMAA Class 4A (1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1995)
Awards
  • MW Coach of the Year (2005)
  • WBCA Region 7 Coach of the Year (2006)

Early life and college education

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and raised in the Mayberry Village community of New Hartford, Connecticut,[1][3] Flanagan graduated from Cornwall Academy after attending East Hartford High School for three years and earned a basketball scholarship to Hartwick College, but he dropped out after one year.[4]

Flanagan worked in Hartford before moving to Durango, Colorado to enroll at Fort Lewis College in 1967.[4] Flanagan graduated from Fort Lewis in 1971 with a double major in elementary education and physical education.[5] Flanagan played at guard for the Fort Lewis Skyhawks, then an NAIA program; he averaged 13.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in his junior season of 1969–70.[6]

Coaching career

Flanagan began his coaching career in 1971 as boys' varsity basketball coach at Coronado High School in Gallina, New Mexico; he also coached cross country and baseball there. In 1973, Flanagan returned to Connecticut to coach at Pawcatuck Middle School in Pawcatuck, Connecticut. At Pawcatabuck, Flanagan had a 15–0 season.[4][7] Flanagan returned to the Southwest in 1975 as boys' varsity basketball coach at Window Rock High School in Fort Defiance, Arizona. Window Rock went 75–25 and made the state tournament every year under Flanagan, including as state runner-up in 1978.[7]

From 1979 to 1995, Flanagan was the girls' basketball head coach at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he had a record of 401-13 and 11 New Mexico Activities Association Class 4A championships for the years 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, and 1995. Flanagan was inducted into the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.[8][9]

As women's basketball coach at the University of New Mexico, Flanagan coached 508 collegiate games, which as of March 7, 2014, is a feat no coach has done in New Mexico basketball history.[8] As of March 2014, he holds the title of most wins by any coach, men's or women's, at the school with 340 victories. He passed former UNM Men's Basketball coach Dave Bliss's 246 wins on December 9, 2006. From 1998 to 2010, Flanagan's teams made the NCAA Tournament or Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) every year. Flanagan's New Mexico teams made seven NCAA Tournaments and six WNITs.

On April 4, 2011, Flanagan announced his resignation, following a 13–18 season and with a year remaining on his contract. He finished his coaching career with the Lobos with a record of 340 wins to 168 losses. Prior to his resignation, five freshmen players left the team. Flanagan responded: "It wasn't fair to the program for me to stay and try to recruit multiple players with one year left on my contract."[10] With that resignation, Flanagan retired from coaching.[11] Assistant coach Yvonne Sanchez, who had been an assistant coach under Flanagan since 2000, succeeded Flanagan as head coach on April 22, 2011.[12]

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
New Mexico Lobos (Western Athletic Conference) (1995–1999)
1995–96 New Mexico 14–156–85th
1996–97 New Mexico 18–108–84th (Mountain)
1997–98 New Mexico 26–710–4T–3rd (Mountain)NCAA First Round
1998–99 New Mexico 24–712–2T–1st (Pacific)WNIT Third Round
New Mexico (WAC): 82–39 (.678)36–22 (.621)
New Mexico Lobos (Mountain West Conference) (1999–2011)
1999–2000 New Mexico 18–119–5T–3rdWNIT First Round
2000–01 New Mexico 22–138–6T–3rdWNIT First Round
2001–02 New Mexico 22–910–4T–2ndNCAA First Round
2002–03 New Mexico 24–99–52ndNCAA Sweet 16
2003–04 New Mexico 23–812–2T–1stNCAA First Round
2004–05 New Mexico 26–512–2T–1stNCAA First Round
2005–06 New Mexico 22–1011–5T–3rdNCAA Second Round
2006–07 New Mexico 24–911–5T–2ndNCAA First Round
2007–08 New Mexico 20–139–74thNCAA First Round
2008–09 New Mexico 25–119–74thWNIT Quarterfinals
2009–10 New Mexico 19–139–7T–5thWNIT First Round
2010–11 New Mexico 13–185–117th
New Mexico (MW): 258–129 (.667)114–66 (.633)
Total:340–168 (.669)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Sources:

  • WAC standings:[13]
  • MW standings:[14]
  • Postseason results:[15]

References
  1. Larson, John B. (April 25, 2002), "Honoring Donald Elliott Flanagan", Congressional Record, 107th Congress, 2nd Session, 148 (49), p. E645, retrieved January 3, 2020
  2. "Head Coach Don Flanagan" (PDF), New Mexico [Women's] Basketball 2006-07, University of New Mexico, p. 33, 2006, retrieved January 3, 2020
  3. Dyer, Jessica (April 5, 2011). "Lobo Basketball Coach Flanagan Made His Mark". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  4. Riley, Lori (March 21, 2003). "Coach Brings Success To New Mexico". Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  5. "Hall of Fame: Don Flanagan, Class of 1971". Fort Lewis College Athletics. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  6. http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/statsPDFArchive/MBB2/A/Men's%20Basketball_Men's_College%20Division_1970_1083_Fort%20Lewis%20College.pdf
  7. Smith, Mark (March 6, 1996). "Don had not-so-dandy beginning". Albuquerque Journal. Archived from the original on March 29, 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  8. "Don Flanagan". University of New Mexico Athletics. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  9. New Mexico Girls State Basketball Champions. New Mexico Activities Association. Accessed March 30, 2016.
  10. Sickenger, Ken (April 5, 2011). "End of an Era: UNM's Flanagan resigns". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  11. Sickenger, Ken (August 10, 2014). "Flanagan enjoying retirement". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  12. "Yvonne Sanchez". University of New Mexico Athletics. 2015. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015.
  13. "WAC Standings" (PDF). 2010-11 Women's Basketball Media Guide. Western Athletic Conference. 2010. pp. 81–82. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-10.
  14. "Annual standings" (PDF). 2015-16 Mountain West Women's Basketball Media Guide. Mountain West Conference. 2015. pp. 114–116.
  15. "All-time results" (PDF). 2015-16 New Mexico Lobo Women's Basketball Media Guide. University of New Mexico. 2015. pp. 157–159.
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