Joe Cipriano
circa 1970
Biographical details
Born(1931-10-27)October 27, 1931
Sumas, Washington, U.S.
DiedNovember 25, 1980(1980-11-25) (aged 49)
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.
Playing career
1950–1953Washington
Position(s)Guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1953–1960Washington (assistant)
1960–1963Idaho
1963–1980Nebraska
Head coaching record
Overall297–231
Tournaments1–3 (NIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
First-team All-PCC (1953)

Joe Cipriano (October 27, 1931 – November 25, 1980) was an American college basketball coach, the head coach at independent Idaho (1960–63) and Nebraska (1963–80) of the Big Eight Conference.

Playing career

Born in Sumas in northwest Washington,[1] he was an all-state guard known as "Slippery Joe" at Nooksack Valley High School in Whatcom County and graduated in 1949.[2] "Jumping Joe"[3] was an All-PCC guard in college under coach Tippy Dye at Washington in Seattle, and led the Huskies to a 79–15 (.840) record in his three years on the varsity. In his senior season, the energetic Cipriano[4] and the Huskies advanced to the Final Four in March 1953 in Kansas City and finished third.[5][6]

Assistant coach

After graduation, he was the freshman coach at Washington and later an assistant coach under Dye and Johnny Grayson.[7][8]

Head coach

Idaho

At age 28, Cipriano became the head coach at the University of Idaho in May 1960. He succeeded Dave Strack, who left after a single season in Moscow to return to Michigan as the head coach.[9] Cipriano's Vandal teams improved each year as an independent and went 43–35 (.551) in three seasons.

His most notable player was future NBA star Gus Johnson, the tenth overall selection in the 1963 NBA draft and a future hall of famer. After the successful 20–6 (.769) season in 1962–63, Johnson turned professional and Cipriano moved east to Nebraska. The following season, the Vandals were fifth in the new six-team Big Sky Conference (4–6, 7–19 overall).

Nebraska

In March 1963, Cipriano became the head coach at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, hired by his former mentor, Tippy Dye, who became the NU athletic director a year earlier (and hired head football coach Bob Devaney). Cipriano ran the Big Eight basketball program for over 17 years, until he lost his 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer in Lincoln in November 1980 at age 49.[6][10][11] He compiled a record of 254–196 (.564) with the Huskers.

At the time of his retirement, he was far and away the winningest basketball coach in Nebraska history, with 168 more wins than any previous head coach,[1] and one-fifth of the Cornhuskers' all-time wins in 83 years of play. He led the Huskers to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1967, the first postseason appearance in school history, with additional invites in 1978 and 1980. In his third year at Lincoln, the 1965–66 Huskers tallied the program's first 20-win season, runner-up to fourth-ranked Kansas (13–1) in the Big Eight at 12–2,[12] handing the Jayhawks their sole conference loss,[13] but did not garner a postseason bid. During this era, only the conference champion was guaranteed a berth in the 22-team NCAA tournament, and the NIT invited only fourteen.

Less than a year before his death, Cipriano returned to Moscow when his Huskers took on Don Monson's Vandals in the Kibbie Dome in early January.[10][14] The two head coaches had played against each other 27 years earlier, as guards in the Pacific Coast Conference.[11] Though it was played before classes resumed, it was the second-highest attendance for a basketball game to date on campus, in the Dome's fifth season.[15]

Cipriano spent his final week at Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln,[16][17] and is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park in Lincoln.

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Idaho Vandals (NCAA University Division independent) (1960–1963)
1960–61 Idaho 10–16
1961–62 Idaho 13–13
1962–63 Idaho 20–6
Idaho: 43–35 (.551)
Nebraska Cornhuskers (Big Eight Conference) (1963–1980)
1963–64 Nebraska 7–185–9T–6th
1964–65 Nebraska 10–155–9T–6th
1965–66 Nebraska 20–512–22nd
1966–67 Nebraska 16–910–4T–2ndNIT Quarterfinal
1967–68 Nebraska 15–108–6T–3rd
1968–69 Nebraska 12–145–9T–6th
1969–70 Nebraska 16–97–7T–3rd
1970–71 Nebraska 18–88–64th
1971–72 Nebraska 14–127–74th
1972–73 Nebraska 9–174–10T–6th
1973–74 Nebraska 14–127–74th
1974–75 Nebraska 14–127–74th
1975–76 Nebraska 19–810–43rd
1976–77 Nebraska 16–137–75th
1977–78 Nebraska 22–89–52ndNIT Quarterfinal
1978–79 Nebraska 14–137–75th
1979–80 Nebraska 18–138–6T–2ndNIT First Round
Nebraska: 254–196 (.564)126–112 (.529)
Total:297–231 (.563)

      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

References

  1. 1 2 "Cipriano dies at 49". St. Joseph News-Press. Missouri. Associated Press. November 25, 1980. p. 1B.
  2. ↑ Hewins, Jack (November 7, 1949). "Must be more of one Cipriano". Ellensburg Daily Record. Washington. Associated Press. p. 6.
  3. ↑ ""Jumpin' Joe" Cipriano bounds high past Idaho for score". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. (photo). January 7, 1952. p. 8.
  4. ↑ "Joe Cipriano leads Washington to 60-47 victory over California". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. March 7, 1953. p. 2.
  5. ↑ "Cipriano loses battle with cancer". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). UPI. November 25, 1980. p. 19.
  6. 1 2 Smith, Craig (March 23, 1993). "The Game - 40 years have passed since Washington, Seattle U. met in city's Game of the Century". Retrieved July 10, 2013.
  7. ↑ Missildine, Harry (March 20, 1960). "Idaho opens coach search". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 16.
  8. ↑ Missildine, Harry (March 20, 1963). "Cipriano departs with best wishes". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 16.
  9. ↑ "Idaho hires Cipriano as head cage coach". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 23, 1960. p. 9.
  10. 1 2 Emerson, Paul (January 7, 1980). "Fighting back: Joe Cipriano". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
  11. 1 2 Van Sickel, Charlie (November 25, 1980). "Cipriano: One speed only". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 19.
  12. ↑ Morey, Earl (March 8, 1966). "KU eyes NCAA title after winning loop". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 12.
  13. ↑ Morey, Earl (January 19, 1966). "Jays lose fire, NU uses blitz and KSU game to be no picnic". Lawrence Daily Journal-World. (Kansas). p. 14.
  14. ↑ Missildine, Harry (November 20, 1979). "Joe Cipriano: a cage career marked by humor, success". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 24.
  15. ↑ Emerson, Paul (January 3, 1980). "Vandals de-husk Nebraska, 64-55". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
  16. ↑ "Former Husky star Joe Cipriano dies". Ellensburg Daily Record. (Washington). Associated Press. November 25, 1980. p. 9.
  17. ↑ "Cancer claims Cipriano". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire services. November 26, 1980. p. 5C.
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