Jack Gardner (basketball)


James H. "Jack" Gardner was an American college men's basketball coach, known for his tenures as the head coach at Kansas State University and the University of Utah. He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Gardner, born in Texico, New Mexico and a graduate of the University of Southern California, coached at Kansas State from 1939 to 1942 and 1946 to 1953, compiling a 147–81 record with the Wildcats, and thereafter coaching at Utah from 1953 to 1971, compiling a 339–154 record. His career college record was 486–235.
In his second stint at Kansas State, Gardner's teams won three conference crowns and captured two Big Eight Holiday Tournament championships. His 1950/1951 team finished 25–4 and lost in the finals of the NCAA tournament to the University of Kentucky. That team was arguably the best in K-State history, and one of two that reached the Final Four during his tenure. He had six All-Americans at Kansas State including Ernie Barrett.
Gardner left Manhattan, Kansas in 1953 to take over the head coaching reins at the University of Utah, where he remained for 18 years. He led the Utes to six appearances in the NCAA Tournament and two Final Four appearances. To date, he remains one of only three coaches to twice lead two different programs to the Final Four, along with Roy Williams and Rick Pitino. He finished his career winning seven conference titles. Between 1959 and 1962, his teams compiled a 72–14 record. He was often referred to as "The Fox" and he had five All-Americans including Billy "The Hill" McGill.
Gardner is a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as well as ten other Halls of Fame. He was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and is also a member of the Southern Utah Hall of Fame, Utah All-Sports Hall of Fame, State of Utah Basketball Hall of Fame, Helms Foundation Hall of Fame, Kansas State University Hall of Fame, the Crimson Club, the Modesto Junior College Hall of Fame, the Redlands High School Hall of Fame and the College Basketball Hall of Fame. He was also the recipient of the National Association of Basketball Coaches' Golden Anniversary Award.
He worked as a consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association from 1979 until 1995. He is credited with discovering John Stockton from Gonzaga University while working for the Jazz.
Gardner died on April 9, 2000 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Head coaching record