Dave Bliss
Encyclopedia
Dave Bliss is a former American
college basketball
coach. He coached at University of Oklahoma
, Southern Methodist University
, University of New Mexico
and Baylor University
Bliss resigned from Baylor in 2003 following internal and NCAA investigations
into a number of circumstances surrounding the murder of Baylor player Patrick Dennehy
by a former player Carlton Dotson
. These included the alleged involvement of Bliss in making illicit tuition payments for players Dennehy and Corey Herring, and his alleged attempt to frame Dennehy posthumously as a drug dealer in order to provide cover for himself; although Bliss was never charged criminally, the NCAA effectively blackballed him from the coaching ranks until 2015.
and graduated from Binghamton Central High School in 1961. He graduated from Cornell University
in 1965 where he was elected to the Sphinx Head Society
. He then earned an MBA from Cornell in 1967. He was an all-Ivy League
guard at Cornell, and was captain of the baseball team and named to the first team Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League (EIBL) in 1965 and is a member of the school's athletic Hall of Fame.
under Bob Knight from 1967 to 1969. After serving as an assistant at Cornell from 1969 to 1971, Bliss rejoined Knight at Indiana University
from 1971 to 1975, where he met graduate assistant coach Doug Ash.
Bliss got his first head coaching position at the University of Oklahoma
, where he coached from 1975 to 1980. Ash joined Bliss at Oklahoma as his top assistant, and remained with Bliss for the rest of his career. It was at Oklahoma where Bliss met his wife, Claudia.
From 1980–88, Bliss was the head coach at Southern Methodist University
. He led the Mustangs to three NCAA tournaments, in 1984, 1985 and 1988. His best season was the 1987–88 season, in which the Mustangs won their first outright Southwest Conference regular-season title in 21 years and won the Southwest Conference tournament.
Bliss's most successful player while at SMU was Jon Koncak
, who was the fifth overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft
by the Atlanta Hawks
and gold medalist on the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team coached by Knight. An NCAA investigation during the mid-'80s reported that Bliss was involved in payments to his players, including Koncak, in violation of NCAA rules. But the NCAA chose not to pursue the investigation any further due to the football program having received
the "death penalty". Koncak told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
that he received payments while at SMU, in violation of NCAA rules:
The NCAA investigation memo from Bliss's time at SMU leaked during 2003, at the peak of the Baylor scandal. The memo reported that Koncak had illegally received the money during his junior and senior years from boosters as well as Bliss.
Bliss left SMU after the 1988 season to take over as head coach at the University of New Mexico
, largely due to the violations surrounding the Mustangs football program. He stayed at New Mexico for 11 years and is the school's all-time winningest coach. Under him, the Lobos went to seven NCAA tournaments, and notched four NCAA tournament wins. His best season at the school was 1995–96, when the Lobos finished 28–5 — second best in school history.
Bliss was hired to as the head coach at Baylor University
before the 1999–2000 season. The school paid him $600,000 a year, reported to be twice his salary at New Mexico.
In his four seasons at Baylor, Bliss's team only made the post-season once. During his second season (2000–2001), Baylor made the National Invitation Tournament
, where they lost in the first round to Bliss's old team, New Mexico. Dennehy was a freshman on that New Mexico team that beat Baylor, and was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman team.
, Bliss asked to meet with school investigators. At that meeting, he was told that Dennehy's girlfriend had told them Bliss paid for the sections of Dennehy and Herring's tuition not covered by financial aid. Bliss confessed to making the payments, estimated at $7,000—a major violation of NCAA rules. Two members of Baylor's 2001-02 squad told the Dallas Morning News that Bliss and several members of his staff had been present at a pickup game involving star recruit Harvey Thomas
during his official visit to Baylor—another major NCAA rules violation. It also emerged that Bliss and his staff knew about rampant marijuana
and alcohol
abuse among Baylor players, but did not follow procedures for reporting failed drug tests. Under the circumstances, Bliss was forced to resign on August 8, 2003.
After Bliss resigned, it emerged that he had told players to make up a story about Dennehy being a drug dealer in order to pay for his tuition. The story was intended to serve as a cover-up for Bliss paying Dennehy's tuition. The conversations were tape-recorded by one of Bliss's assistants, Abar Rouse. Bliss had threatened to fire Rouse if he didn't go along with the scheme, leading Rouse to record the conversations. Rouse later sued his attorney for releasing the tapes to investigators. Bliss later called his actions in this phase of the incident "despicable."
Internal and NCAA investigations during 2005 revealed further violations. Besides paying parts of Dennehy and Herring's tuition, Bliss admitted that he'd concealed under-the-table payments to Herring and lied to both the NCAA and Baylor investigators. He also admitted to telling assistant coaches to file false expense reports and lie to Baylor investigators.
Bliss was slapped with a 10-year show-cause order
for what the NCAA called "a blatant and sweeping disregard" of NCAA rules. This means that until 2015, Bliss would have to agree to abide by any restrictions the NCAA infractions committee imposes on him if he wants to work at another NCAA member school in an athletic capacity, then report back to the NCAA in writing every six months for the duration of the order or until the end of his employment. Bliss's prospective employer would have to show cause for why Bliss would not have to have restrictions imposed on his duties. The penalty is the most severe punishment the NCAA can hand a coach. Most major schools will not even consider hiring a coach with an outstanding "show-cause" order on his record, and only one Division I head basketball coach has ever been hired again as a head coach after being hit by a show-cause. Combined with the evidence that Bliss may have engaged in extortion
, witness tampering
and obstruction of justice
(although he has never been criminally charged), it is highly unlikely that Bliss will ever return as a college coach. Ash was hit with a five-year show-cause order. Another assistant, Rodney Belcher, was hit with a seven-year show-cause order for lying about recruiting violations committed in the course of bringing Dennehy to Baylor.
's Dakota Wizards
. He only lasted one season as coach of the Dakota Wizards before resigning, citing family reasons. In 2008, he returned to Texas for several speaking arrangements, including a Baptist church sermon and the annual convention of the Texas High School Coaches Association.
In May 2010, Bliss became dean of students, athletic director and head men's basketball coach at Allen Academy
, a college preparatory school in Bryan, Texas
. He led Allen to the T-CAL state title in his first year.
On November 28, 2010 it was reported by multiple news outlets in Bryan that Bliss received a two-year suspension from coaching basketball and a one-year suspension from school administration at Allen Academy by the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS), the largest athletic governing body of private schools in Texas. The suspension came less than a month after the start of his first season as head boys basketball coach and less than three months after joining the school in an administrative role.
TAPPS Director Edd Burleson declined to comment on the specifics of the ruling from the nine-member board, although Allen Academy Head of School John Rouse, in a letter to parents, said that Bliss had forged Rouse's signature on an approval form for a potential student-athlete. Rouse told the parents that Bliss did not deserve the suspension and announced that the school would withdraw from TAPPS, allowing Bliss to continue to coach.
In a memorandum, TAPPS cited the Allen Academy administration for a lack of institutional control. The Baylor Athletic Department was cited for this same offense following the NCAA's 2003 investigation. The SMU Athletic Department received two separate citations for a lack of institutional control during Bliss' tenure as head coach of the Mustangs.
KBTX reported that Bliss had broken TAPPS rules by illegally recruiting potential players from other schools, including two senior transfers from Houston currently on the team. Both players enrolled as boarding students over the summer and were able to play on the varsity team without having to sit out the mandated one-year due to their boarding status. The news outlet also reported that the students received as much as 80% off the school's $10,000 annual tuition.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
coach. He coached at University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
, University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
and Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
Bliss resigned from Baylor in 2003 following internal and NCAA investigations
Baylor University basketball scandal
The Baylor University basketball scandal was an incident in which the Baylor University men's basketball program was investigated and punished for numerous NCAA violations. The scandal broke out after the 2003 murder of men's basketball player Patrick Dennehy...
into a number of circumstances surrounding the murder of Baylor player Patrick Dennehy
Patrick Dennehy
Patrick James Dennehy was an American college basketball player. He was born in Santa Clara, California. He was fatally shot by a teammate in 2003....
by a former player Carlton Dotson
Carlton Dotson
Carlton Eric Dotson, Jr. is an American former college basketball player who is currently serving a 35-year prison term for the murder of Patrick Dennehy, one of his teammates.-Basketball career:Dotson attended North Dorchester High School...
. These included the alleged involvement of Bliss in making illicit tuition payments for players Dennehy and Corey Herring, and his alleged attempt to frame Dennehy posthumously as a drug dealer in order to provide cover for himself; although Bliss was never charged criminally, the NCAA effectively blackballed him from the coaching ranks until 2015.
Education
Bliss was born and raised in Binghamton, New YorkBinghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
and graduated from Binghamton Central High School in 1961. He graduated from Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
in 1965 where he was elected to the Sphinx Head Society
Sphinx Head
The Sphinx Head Society is the oldest senior honor society at Cornell University. Sphinx Head recognizes Cornell senior men and women who have demonstrated respectable strength of character on top of a dedication to leadership and service at Cornell University...
. He then earned an MBA from Cornell in 1967. He was an all-Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
guard at Cornell, and was captain of the baseball team and named to the first team Eastern Intercollegiate Baseball League (EIBL) in 1965 and is a member of the school's athletic Hall of Fame.
Coaching background
Bliss began his coaching career as an assistant coach at ArmyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
under Bob Knight from 1967 to 1969. After serving as an assistant at Cornell from 1969 to 1971, Bliss rejoined Knight at Indiana University
Indiana Hoosiers
The Indiana Hoosiers are the athletic teams for the Bloomington campus of Indiana University . Athletic teams sponsored by IU Bloomington include cross country, track, baseball, golf, tennis, rowing, volleyball, soccer, football and basketball...
from 1971 to 1975, where he met graduate assistant coach Doug Ash.
Bliss got his first head coaching position at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, where he coached from 1975 to 1980. Ash joined Bliss at Oklahoma as his top assistant, and remained with Bliss for the rest of his career. It was at Oklahoma where Bliss met his wife, Claudia.
From 1980–88, Bliss was the head coach at Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University
Southern Methodist University is a private university in Dallas, Texas, United States. Founded in 1911 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, SMU operates campuses in Dallas, Plano, and Taos, New Mexico. SMU is owned by the South Central Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church...
. He led the Mustangs to three NCAA tournaments, in 1984, 1985 and 1988. His best season was the 1987–88 season, in which the Mustangs won their first outright Southwest Conference regular-season title in 21 years and won the Southwest Conference tournament.
Bliss's most successful player while at SMU was Jon Koncak
Jon Koncak
Jon Francis Koncak is a former American professional basketball player. A 7'0" center from Southern Methodist University, Koncak was selected with the 5th pick in the 1985 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks. Koncak spent ten seasons with the Hawks , mainly in a reserve role, then concluded his...
, who was the fifth overall pick in the 1985 NBA Draft
1985 NBA Draft
The 1985 NBA Draft took place on June 18, 1985. It was also the first NBA Draft of the "Lottery" era. A total of 162 players were selected over 7 rounds by the league's 23 teams. The New York Knicks were awarded the first overall pick, by winning the first-ever NBA Draft Lottery, which was held...
by the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
and gold medalist on the 1984 U.S. Olympic basketball team coached by Knight. An NCAA investigation during the mid-'80s reported that Bliss was involved in payments to his players, including Koncak, in violation of NCAA rules. But the NCAA chose not to pursue the investigation any further due to the football program having received
Southern Methodist University football scandal
The Southern Methodist University football scandal was an incident in which the football program at Southern Methodist University was investigated and punished for massive violations of NCAA rules and regulations. The most serious violation was the maintenance of a slush fund used for "under the...
the "death penalty". Koncak told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram is a major U.S. daily newspaper serving Fort Worth and the western half of the North Texas area known as the Metroplex. Its area of domination is checked by its main rival, The Dallas Morning News, which is published from the eastern half of the Metroplex. It is owned...
that he received payments while at SMU, in violation of NCAA rules:
“The focus of that story was obviously Dave Bliss, but other people got caught up in it, which is unfortunate,” Koncak said. “But, yes, there had been some benefits while I was at SMU, and I did accept some of those benefits. What I did was against the rules."
The NCAA investigation memo from Bliss's time at SMU leaked during 2003, at the peak of the Baylor scandal. The memo reported that Koncak had illegally received the money during his junior and senior years from boosters as well as Bliss.
Bliss left SMU after the 1988 season to take over as head coach at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
, largely due to the violations surrounding the Mustangs football program. He stayed at New Mexico for 11 years and is the school's all-time winningest coach. Under him, the Lobos went to seven NCAA tournaments, and notched four NCAA tournament wins. His best season at the school was 1995–96, when the Lobos finished 28–5 — second best in school history.
Bliss was hired to as the head coach at Baylor University
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private, Christian university located in Waco, Texas. Founded in 1845, Baylor is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.-History:...
before the 1999–2000 season. The school paid him $600,000 a year, reported to be twice his salary at New Mexico.
In his four seasons at Baylor, Bliss's team only made the post-season once. During his second season (2000–2001), Baylor made the National Invitation Tournament
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
, where they lost in the first round to Bliss's old team, New Mexico. Dennehy was a freshman on that New Mexico team that beat Baylor, and was named to the Mountain West All-Freshman team.
The Baylor scandal
After a memorial service for Dennehy in San Jose, CaliforniaSan Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, Bliss asked to meet with school investigators. At that meeting, he was told that Dennehy's girlfriend had told them Bliss paid for the sections of Dennehy and Herring's tuition not covered by financial aid. Bliss confessed to making the payments, estimated at $7,000—a major violation of NCAA rules. Two members of Baylor's 2001-02 squad told the Dallas Morning News that Bliss and several members of his staff had been present at a pickup game involving star recruit Harvey Thomas
Harvey Thomas
Harvey Thomas was an American luthier who built a number of distinctive guitars in the 1960s.Thomas was based in Kent, Washington, where he built guitars apparently uninfluenced by any other guitar builder...
during his official visit to Baylor—another major NCAA rules violation. It also emerged that Bliss and his staff knew about rampant marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
and alcohol
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
abuse among Baylor players, but did not follow procedures for reporting failed drug tests. Under the circumstances, Bliss was forced to resign on August 8, 2003.
After Bliss resigned, it emerged that he had told players to make up a story about Dennehy being a drug dealer in order to pay for his tuition. The story was intended to serve as a cover-up for Bliss paying Dennehy's tuition. The conversations were tape-recorded by one of Bliss's assistants, Abar Rouse. Bliss had threatened to fire Rouse if he didn't go along with the scheme, leading Rouse to record the conversations. Rouse later sued his attorney for releasing the tapes to investigators. Bliss later called his actions in this phase of the incident "despicable."
Internal and NCAA investigations during 2005 revealed further violations. Besides paying parts of Dennehy and Herring's tuition, Bliss admitted that he'd concealed under-the-table payments to Herring and lied to both the NCAA and Baylor investigators. He also admitted to telling assistant coaches to file false expense reports and lie to Baylor investigators.
Bliss was slapped with a 10-year show-cause order
Show-cause penalty (NCAA)
In the National Collegiate Athletic Association , a show-cause penalty is an order saying that for a set period of time, any NCAA penalties imposed on a coach involved in major rules violations at a university's athletic program will remain in force if he is hired by any other NCAA member institution...
for what the NCAA called "a blatant and sweeping disregard" of NCAA rules. This means that until 2015, Bliss would have to agree to abide by any restrictions the NCAA infractions committee imposes on him if he wants to work at another NCAA member school in an athletic capacity, then report back to the NCAA in writing every six months for the duration of the order or until the end of his employment. Bliss's prospective employer would have to show cause for why Bliss would not have to have restrictions imposed on his duties. The penalty is the most severe punishment the NCAA can hand a coach. Most major schools will not even consider hiring a coach with an outstanding "show-cause" order on his record, and only one Division I head basketball coach has ever been hired again as a head coach after being hit by a show-cause. Combined with the evidence that Bliss may have engaged in extortion
Extortion
Extortion is a criminal offence which occurs when a person unlawfully obtains either money, property or services from a person, entity, or institution, through coercion. Refraining from doing harm is sometimes euphemistically called protection. Extortion is commonly practiced by organized crime...
, witness tampering
Witness tampering
Witness tampering is harming or otherwise threatening a witness, hoping to influence his or her testimony.-Witness tampering in the USA:In the United States, the crime of witness tampering in federal cases is defined by statute at , "Tampering with a witness, victim, or an informant"...
and obstruction of justice
Obstruction of justice
The crime of obstruction of justice, in United States jurisdictions, refers to the crime of interfering with the work of police, investigators, regulatory agencies, prosecutors, or other officials...
(although he has never been criminally charged), it is highly unlikely that Bliss will ever return as a college coach. Ash was hit with a five-year show-cause order. Another assistant, Rodney Belcher, was hit with a seven-year show-cause order for lying about recruiting violations committed in the course of bringing Dennehy to Baylor.
Post-Baylor
Bliss served for two years as a volunteer assistant coach at a Denver-area high school before being hired as head coach of the Continental Basketball AssociationContinental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
's Dakota Wizards
Dakota Wizards
The Dakota Wizards are an American basketball team in the NBA Development League, based in Bismarck, North Dakota. Home games are played at the Bismarck Civic Center.-Beginnings in IBA:...
. He only lasted one season as coach of the Dakota Wizards before resigning, citing family reasons. In 2008, he returned to Texas for several speaking arrangements, including a Baptist church sermon and the annual convention of the Texas High School Coaches Association.
In May 2010, Bliss became dean of students, athletic director and head men's basketball coach at Allen Academy
Allen Academy
Allen Academy is a private school in Bryan, Texas that was founded by John H. and Rivers O. Allen in Madisonville, Texas in 1886. Allen maintained a military program until the 1980s. Today the school is co-educational pre-K through grade 12....
, a college preparatory school in Bryan, Texas
Bryan, Texas
Bryan is a city in Brazos County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,201. It is the county seat of Brazos County and is located in the heart of the Brazos Valley . It shares its border with the city of College Station, which lies to its south...
. He led Allen to the T-CAL state title in his first year.
On November 28, 2010 it was reported by multiple news outlets in Bryan that Bliss received a two-year suspension from coaching basketball and a one-year suspension from school administration at Allen Academy by the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAPPS), the largest athletic governing body of private schools in Texas. The suspension came less than a month after the start of his first season as head boys basketball coach and less than three months after joining the school in an administrative role.
TAPPS Director Edd Burleson declined to comment on the specifics of the ruling from the nine-member board, although Allen Academy Head of School John Rouse, in a letter to parents, said that Bliss had forged Rouse's signature on an approval form for a potential student-athlete. Rouse told the parents that Bliss did not deserve the suspension and announced that the school would withdraw from TAPPS, allowing Bliss to continue to coach.
In a memorandum, TAPPS cited the Allen Academy administration for a lack of institutional control. The Baylor Athletic Department was cited for this same offense following the NCAA's 2003 investigation. The SMU Athletic Department received two separate citations for a lack of institutional control during Bliss' tenure as head coach of the Mustangs.
KBTX reported that Bliss had broken TAPPS rules by illegally recruiting potential players from other schools, including two senior transfers from Houston currently on the team. Both players enrolled as boarding students over the summer and were able to play on the varsity team without having to sit out the mandated one-year due to their boarding status. The news outlet also reported that the students received as much as 80% off the school's $10,000 annual tuition.