Dick Harter is an American basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 coach, who has served as both a head and assistant coach in both the NBA and NCAA

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

.

Coaching career

In the 1970s, Harter, who regarded as one of the top defensive coaches in the game, was the head basketball coach at the University of Oregon

University of Oregon

-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...

, where his "Kamikaze kids" were known for a swarming defense. In 1974, when the rival Oregon State Beavers clinched the Chancellor’s Trophy, which was annually given to the team that won the Civil War series, the head cheerleader brought out the trophy and was running around the floor when Dick Harter tripped him. Many basketball notables came from Harter's Oregon program, including Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

Stuart Wayne Jackson is an American former head coach and current executive in the National Basketball Association. He has coached two different NBA teams: the New York Knicks in 1990 and 1991, and the Vancouver Grizzlies in 1997; he also has served as the Grizzlies' general manager...

 and former Oregon coach Ernie Kent

Ernie Kent

Ernie Kent is an American college basketball coach. He is the former head men's basketball coach at the University of Oregon. Kent replaced Jerry Green as coach following the 1996-97 season. Prior to becoming head coach at Oregon, Kent was an assistant at Stanford University and also coached at St...

. He has also served as the head basketball coach at the University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...

 and at Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions men's basketball

The Penn State Nittany Lions basketball team is a NCAA Division I college basketball team representing the Pennsylvania State University. They are a member of the Big Ten Conference and play home games at the 15,261-seat Bryce Jordan Center, moving there from boisterous Rec Hall during the 1995–96...

.

Harter's first job in the NBA was as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons

Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...

 in the 1982–83 season. He left in 1986 to become an assistant for the Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

. In 1988, he was hired into his first head coaching position, with the expansion Charlotte Hornets. In the team's second season Harter was fired in 1990 during mid-season when the Hornets' record was 8–32. Harter went on to work on the coaching staffs of the Indiana Pacers

Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...

, New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

, Portland Trail Blazers

Portland Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...

 and Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

. Harter is often credited by then-Pacers head coach Larry Bird

Larry Bird

Larry Joe Bird is a former American NBA basketball player and coach. Drafted into the NBA sixth overall by the Boston Celtics in 1978, Bird started at small forward and power forward for thirteen seasons, spearheading one of the NBA's most formidable frontcourts that included center Robert Parish...

 as the reason for the team's trip to the 2000 NBA Finals. Harter joined the Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

' coaching staff on May 5, 2004.

College head coaching record