Willis Wilson announced his retirement as coach of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi today...concluding a 39-year coaching career (the last ten years at TAMU-CC).
Willis had a successful career at Rice while coaching and recruiting to a substandard Division 1 facility. A good friend to Rice, an institution that really didn't treat him fairly.
Good luck to Willis and Vicki with their retirement. He's not old (61) but 39 years in the coaching industry can certainly age someone.
I wonder if Marty Gross will keep coaching? He's got a few years on Willis even in the industry. One of Willis' assistants at TAMU-CC was Terry Johnson, Trent Johnson's son. Trent is still coaching (he's an assistant at Cal these days).
(03-24-2021 04:33 PM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote: [ -> ]Willis Wilson announced his retirement as coach of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi today...concluding a 39-year coaching career (the last ten years at TAMU-CC).
Willis had a successful career at Rice while coaching and recruiting to a substandard Division 1 facility. A good friend to Rice, an institution that really didn't treat him fairly.
Agree with every bit of that.
(03-24-2021 04:33 PM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote: [ -> ]Willis Wilson announced his retirement as coach of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi today...concluding a 39-year coaching career (the last ten years at TAMU-CC).
Willis had a successful career at Rice while coaching and recruiting to a substandard Division 1 facility. A good friend to Rice, an institution that really didn't treat him fairly.
He'd been at TAMU-CC 10 years already??? Oh my, how time flies!
(03-24-2021 05:03 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: [ -> ] (03-24-2021 04:33 PM)Houston Owl 2 Wrote: [ -> ]Willis Wilson announced his retirement as coach of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi today...concluding a 39-year coaching career (the last ten years at TAMU-CC).
Willis had a successful career at Rice while coaching and recruiting to a substandard Division 1 facility. A good friend to Rice, an institution that really didn't treat him fairly.
Agree with every bit of that.
Same here. Some really terrific memories
Willis was true gentleman. When Rice was in the WAC, I had the pleasure of dining with him on multiple occasions. A class act and credit to Rice.
I saw the sports tonight from Corpus. They said Willis was the winningest coach in history at both TAMU-CC and Rice. That’s impressive.
He was a great coach. He met with us students more than once in the early days of the Wilzone (the precursor to Autry’s Army the following year).
Fair winds and following seas...
Willis was an awesome coach to cover. He always let me stay and watch practice. That never happens at any college. If not for the dreaded floor at pre-Tudor Rice, he might have taken a team or 2 to the dance. Seemed like when he would get a talented group together, an injury or 2 would come up and bite them. Mike Wilks/Eric Cooper teams come to mind in that regard. The Harris/Gillespie/Diene/Harrison team in particular was good enough to play in the NCAA tournament.
(03-25-2021 05:18 AM)Mademen Wrote: [ -> ]Willis was an awesome coach to cover. He always let me stay and watch practice. That never happens at any college. If not for the dreaded floor at pre-Tudor Rice, he might have taken a team or 2 to the dance. Seemed like when he would get a talented group together, an injury or 2 would come up and bite them. Mike Wilks/Eric Cooper teams come to mind in that regard. The Harris/Gillespie/Diene/Harrison team in particular was good enough to play in the NCAA tournament.
Mance, McKrieth and Almond overlapping that group as well. The game against future champs UConn was a highlight. They could play. I remember standing on the steps in front of Autry before Harris' senior year and saying to a friend "if it doesn't happen this year it never will." I guess it's never.
The truly amazing thing is that Willis accomplished all that with an athletic administration that was at best apathetic toward basketball.
(03-25-2021 08:28 AM)mebehutchi Wrote: [ -> ] (03-25-2021 05:18 AM)Mademen Wrote: [ -> ]Willis was an awesome coach to cover. He always let me stay and watch practice. That never happens at any college. If not for the dreaded floor at pre-Tudor Rice, he might have taken a team or 2 to the dance. Seemed like when he would get a talented group together, an injury or 2 would come up and bite them. Mike Wilks/Eric Cooper teams come to mind in that regard. The Harris/Gillespie/Diene/Harrison team in particular was good enough to play in the NCAA tournament.
Mance, McKrieth and Almond overlapping that group as well. The game against future champs UConn was a highlight. They could play. I remember standing on the steps in front of Autry before Harris' senior year and saying to a friend "if it doesn't happen this year it never will." I guess it's never.
And it might have happened that year had Wilson given Almond more playing time, but for whatever reason he never increased his per game minutes. He was too loyal to his upperclassmen.
Willis is and always has been a great gentleman, even dating back to our days as students. A great friend, and great recruiter (as evidenced by his ability to 'sign' Vicki). Rice 'did him wrong' and you never heard a harsh word from him about it. The 'year in the wilderness' was one of the biggest gifts any coach has ever given his school.
I have a lot of stories about Willis but one instance occurred just two days after he was fired. I received a call from a coach that was interested in the job at Rice (and that probably would have been a great hire for Rice).
He told me "I consider Willis to be a friend so I contacted him first before I decided whether to apply for the Rice job...he told me yesterday that Rice was a great place to coach and that I would love coaching the players Rice recruited...he also said that it was a difficult place to win but that he would do anything he could to help."
I'm not sure that would have been my attitude the day after I was fired, but I think it says a lot about Willis.
Wow. Long time in the coaching business. I bet his wife is relieved. He would be a great sports newscaster in Houston area or maybe get with Andy and his sports talk show.
(03-25-2021 08:32 AM)waltgreenberg Wrote: [ -> ] (03-25-2021 08:28 AM)mebehutchi Wrote: [ -> ] (03-25-2021 05:18 AM)Mademen Wrote: [ -> ]Willis was an awesome coach to cover. He always let me stay and watch practice. That never happens at any college. If not for the dreaded floor at pre-Tudor Rice, he might have taken a team or 2 to the dance. Seemed like when he would get a talented group together, an injury or 2 would come up and bite them. Mike Wilks/Eric Cooper teams come to mind in that regard. The Harris/Gillespie/Diene/Harrison team in particular was good enough to play in the NCAA tournament.
Mance, McKrieth and Almond overlapping that group as well. The game against future champs UConn was a highlight. They could play. I remember standing on the steps in front of Autry before Harris' senior year and saying to a friend "if it doesn't happen this year it never will." I guess it's never.
And it might have happened that year had Wilson given Almond more playing time, but for whatever reason he never increased his per game minutes. He was too loyal to his upperclassmen.
The word was he wouldn't play a lick of defense as a frosh, but the way he could fill it up at some point you just sit in a 2-3 and let him get his on the other end.
I'm betting moral Owl might disagree with you.
When he was an assistant at Rice for Scott Thompson, I was officiating one of his intramural basketball games. Naturally, his team was well in front, but I called a foul on him at one point that he disagreed with. I could tell he was ready to be a head coach when he referred to me as "Mr. Official" rather than just go off on me.
He also managed to get a group of us seats at Allen Field House when Rice went to play at KU while he was coaching. The feeling of being ahead, even just for the first 5 minutes of the game, and sitting there with a group of folks wearing Rice or Mizzou stuff, was priceless.
Congrats to him.
Class person! I hope that he enjoys retirement or makes a million bucks as an ESPN analyst. He is articulate and knowledgeable enough to be in the big games.
Thanks for your years as an Owl and Owl Coach!
I'm not sure there is anyone who knows Coach Wilson who does not respect him highly. A great Owl in every way.
My personal story is that one morning at Autry Court, Coach Wilson asked me if I'd like to play racquetball. I said I'd love too. I had fun, but I'm not sure he did, as he simply destroyed me -- the line score was something like 15-1, 15-2. I was not asked to play again. :)