Former Spurs coach Stan Albeck dies at 89

When Stan Albeck arrived in San Antonio as the new head coach of the Spurs in summer 1980, his never-met-a-stranger personality and willingness to embrace Texas culture made him an instant hit with fans.

“Right after he got here, somebody gave him a pair of cowboy boots, and he wore those things everywhere,” said Wayne Witt, the Spurs former media director. “He didn’t care if he had a suit on or not, he’d wear his cowboy boots. He couldn’t wear a Stetson hat because of that hairdo he had, but he wore those boots.”

Albeck, who with his 1980s-style perm guided the Spurs to consecutive appearances in the Western Conference Finals against the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in 1982 and 1983, died Thursday. He was 89.

“Coach Albeck wasn’t just important to the Spurs,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He was what I call a lifer. People like myself don’t come close to loving the game as he did and his whole family did. They participated in so many ways and followed him so many places, ABA, NBA, assistant coach, head coach, by gosh. … He loved it.”

Albeck spent seven years as a head coach in the NBA, starting with Cleveland (1979-80) before moving to San Antonio (1980-83), New Jersey (1983-85) and Chicago (1985-86). He compiled a 307-267 regular season record, including a 153-93 mark with the Spurs.

Albeck also coached college basketball and in the ABA during a career that began in 1956 and included a stint from 1986-91 with his alma mater, Bradley University.

Albeck is tied with Larry Brown for the third-most regular season wins in Spurs history. He entered the San Antonio Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.

Albeck had been in hospice since mid-March, his son said.

“He took a turn for the worse (on March 14) after having another stroke,” Jon Albeck said.

Albeck was 70 and an assistant with Toronto when he suffered a crippling, career-ending stroke in December 2001 in the locker room shortly before a home game.

Albeck had difficulty speaking after his first stroke, but his smile and sparking eyes remained.

“He could tell stories and laugh and have a good time all night long,” said Paul Griffin, a bruising forward who played for the Spurs during the Albeck era. “Then he had a stroke and couldn’t talk. It was a cruel thing to happen to that man.”

Shrewdly handling a roster filled with veterans and highlighted by future Hall of Famer George Gervin, Albeck immediately devised a road map to lead the Spurs to a title.

“He had a plan for every player,” Witt said. “He’d say to George, ‘You are going to get 20-plus shots a night.’ Then he’d go to the centers and say, ‘Between the two of you I need X number of rebounds and X number of blocked shots every night.’ And the players bought in.”

Said Griffin: “He was a player’s coach, a good guy who basically let you do your thing out there. But he could be fiery when he needed to be fiery. But he left everything in the locker room. He could be mad at you and then see you in the hotel 30 minutes later and act like nothing ever happened.”

Led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers reached the NBA Finals by beating the Spurs 4-0 in 1982 and 4-2 in 1983.

Albeck entered into negotiations to join the Nets in summer ‘83, which resulted in a legal battle with Spurs management over his contract. Eventually, he wound up with the Nets.

After his days as a head coach, he had success as an assistant, serving as Lenny Wilken’s top lieutenant in Atlanta from 1996-2000 and for two seasons with the Raptors. Throughout it all, he entertained with his engaging personality and storytelling ability.

“He would laugh and have a good time,” Griffin said. “He could tell stories forever.”

After suffering his first stroke, Albeck was a fixture at the AT&T Center.

Always accompanied by his son, Albeck mingled with club officials, coaches, players, staffers and media on the court during warm ups and in the media lounge.

“It was a joy and pleasure for us,” Popovich said of the franchise hosting Albeck. “He would come to games, talk to players, talk to us coaches and he always had a smile for us, a suggestion or two, because he’s a coach. He was always respected, and he brought a bright light to wherever he was.”

Albeck and his wife of 64 years, Phyllis, had five children. Phyllis died in 2017.