Tates Locke
Taylor "Tates" Locke (born February 25, 1937) is an American former basketball coach.
 Locke at Clemson in 1975 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 25, 1937 Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Playing career | |
| 1957–1959 | Ohio Wesleyan |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1959–1960 | Ohio Wesleyan (assistant) |
| 1960–1963 | Army (assistant) |
| 1963–1965 | Army |
| 1965–1966 | Army (freshmen) |
| 1966–1970 | Miami (OH) |
| 1970–1975 | Clemson |
| 1975–1976 | Buffalo Braves (assistant) |
| 1976–1977 | Buffalo Braves |
| 1978–1981 | Jacksonville |
| 1981–1983 | UNLV (assistant) |
| 1987–1989 | Indiana (assistant) |
| 1989–1994 | Indiana State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 255–254 (college) 16–30 (NBA) |
| Tournaments | 1–3 (NCAA University Division / Division I) 6–4 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| MAC regular season (1969) Sun Belt Tournament (1979) | |
| Awards | |
| MVC Coach of the Year (1991) | |
Locke's only experience at the professional level was made possible by Jack Ramsay who brought him to the Buffalo Braves as an assistant coach and chief scout beginning in 1975‐76. When Ramsay's contract wasn't renewed the day after the Braves were eliminated by the Boston Celtics from the playoffs, Locke was promoted and signed a two‐year contract to succeed him as the franchise's fourth head coach three days later on May 6, 1976. He vowed to build “one hell of an aggressive basketball team.”[1]
Once the 1976‐77 season started, the Braves traded Bob McAdoo and Tom McMillen to the New York Knicks and Moses Malone to the Houston Rockets. Locke was also at odds with Ernie DiGregorio and John Shumate. With the Braves at 16‐30, 13 1⁄2 games behind the Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia 76ers and in the midst of a five-match losing streak, he was fired and replaced on an interim basis by general manager Bob MacKinnon on January 25, 1977.[2]
Prior to his Buffalo experience, Locke coached for West Point, where he hired a young assistant coach named Bobby Knight. Knight would later replace Locke when Locke left West Point. After West Point, Locke moved on to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, winning a MAC title in 1968-69. Locke would subsequently coach at Clemson University, but would be forced to resign as the result of an NCAA investigation into recruiting violations. The violation resulted in the Tigers being put on NCAA probation. He later coached at Jacksonville University and took them to an NCAA berth and NIT berth.
Locke would become the head coach at Indiana State University and served as a scout and assistant general manager for the Portland Trail Blazers.
The movie Blue Chips, starring Nick Nolte, is said to be based on Locke's career. However, several midwestern college coaches claim to be the inspiration for the character.
Head coaching record
College
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Cadets (NCAA University Division independent) (1963–1965) | |||||||||
| 1963–64 | Army | 19–7 | NIT Third Place | ||||||
| 1964–65 | Army | 21–8 | NIT Third Place | ||||||
| Army: | 40–15 | ||||||||
| Miami Redskins (Mid-American Conference) (1966–1970) | |||||||||
| 1966–67 | Miami | 14–10 | 7–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1967–68 | Miami | 11–12 | 4–8 | 5th | |||||
| 1968–69 | Miami | 15–12 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA University Division Regional Fourth Place | ||||
| 1969–70 | Miami | 16–8 | 7–3 | T–2nd | |||||
| Miami: | 56–42 | 28–18 | |||||||
| Clemson Tigers (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1970–1975) | |||||||||
| 1970–71 | Clemson | 9–17 | 3–11 | 8th | |||||
| 1971–72 | Clemson | 10–16 | 2–10 | 7th | |||||
| 1972–73 | Clemson | 12–14 | 4–8 | T–4th | |||||
| 1973–74 | Clemson | 14–12 | 3–9 | T–5th | |||||
| 1974–75 | Clemson | 17–11 | 8–4 | T–2nd | NIT First Round | ||||
| Clemson: | 62–70 | 20–42 | |||||||
| Jacksonville Dolphins (Sun Belt Conference) (1978–1981) | |||||||||
| 1978–79 | Jacksonville | 19–11 | 5–5 | 4th | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1979–80 | Jacksonville | 20–9 | 10–4 | T–2nd | NIT First Round | ||||
| 1980–81 | Jacksonville | 8–19 | 4–8 | 5th | |||||
| Jacksonville: | 47–39 | ||||||||
| Indiana State Sycamores (Missouri Valley Conference) (1989–1994) | |||||||||
| 1989–90 | Indiana State | 8–20 | 2–12 | 8th | |||||
| 1990–91 | Indiana State | 14–14 | 9–7 | T–4th | |||||
| 1991–92 | Indiana State | 13–15 | 12–6 | T–4th | |||||
| 1992–93 | Indiana State | 11–17 | 7–11 | T–7th | |||||
| 1993–94 | Indiana State | 4–22 | 3–15 | T–9th | |||||
| Indiana State: | 50–88 | 33–51 | |||||||
| Total: | 255–254 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
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References
- "Tates Locke New Coach of Braves," United Press International (UPI), Thursday, May 6, 1976. Retrieved November 30, 2020
- "Locke Is Dismissed as Braves' Coach," The Associated Press (AP), Tuesday, January 25, 1977. Retrieved November 30, 2020
- Locke, Tates and Ibach, B. (1982). Caught in the Net [autobiography]. Leisure Press. ISBN 0-88011-044-9