Vic Bubas Passes

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

There are some really sketchy comments in a thread that should be honoring Vic Bubas. He coached Duke for ten years, had a lot of success, and decided he didn't want to coach any more. As far as I know, he never gave any of the reasons being alluded to here.

I concur. Speculation about why people lived their lives as they did is a waste of time and a harmful way to remember someone who made major contributions on and off the court.

[Devilwin]

And don't forget the Mongoose!

I recall the "Mongoose". An answer to Dean's vaunted "4 Corners".

[hallcity]

I recall the "Mongoose". An answer to Dean's vaunted "4 Corners".

The mongoose was Bucky Waters, not Bubas.

[WakeDevil]

He was tired of the hassle. His last team won 15 games. He also told K not to let the UNC rivalry dominate him.

His biggest blunder was that 12-10 loss to the crowd in Raleigh.

[Reilly]

... As far as I know, he never gave any of the reasons being alluded to here.

Every edition of The Chronicle is available online: https://library.duke.edu/digitalcoll...dukechronicle/

I tried to find coverage of Bubas announcing his retirement but did not have much luck. Some articles in February and March 1969 noting that it was his last year; one said he decided after the Feb 12, 1969 game against WFU (a big Duke win, I think), but no stories I found announcing his retirement or his thinking.

The Chronicle is a great time suck. Stories about Bucky and his 5-year, $16K/per contract to return from WVU. About hot young coach Hubie. About Enos and the baseball team ...

[-jk]

My mom often said he told her he quit because he'd done what he wanted to do as a college basketball coach, and wanted new challenges.

Seems he found some...

-jk

[Devil549]

Bubas was great coach who had great career at Duke and IMO knew it was time to move on. Probably had a lot of reasons but realized recruiting was changing and would become more difficult to recruit @ DUKE.

I went to his camp in late 60s and enjoyed it very much. They took camp picture which I need to find because Chuck and Hubie were in it but Bubas was one of the best coaches during the 60s.

I can remember Mullins but not Heyman also Marin and Mike Lewis and one of my all time favorites Bob Verga.

[Reilly]

The Sun Belt had pretty steady membership during Bubas's time as commissioner, but a lot of turnover since: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Belt_Conference

[korshmar]

Let the record show that Bubas had a winning record against Dean Smith.

I have many fond memories of Duke basketball while I was there (class of '68). One interesting one is the 2 years of games against UCLA, December '65 and December '66. UCLA had won the 1965 championship and came to North Carolina for a two game series, one night in Durham, the next in Charlotte, ranked No. 1. Before Alcindor and Walton, it was all about the UCLA zone press. Duke won convincingly, I think by 18 and 19 points. Unfortunately, there were two similar games the next year in California, with Alcindor, Allen & Shackleford now playing for UCLA, and Duke lost both games by 30 points, basically a 50 point swing in one year. Now coaching is of course important, but Coach Wooden did not get that much smarter, and Bubas that much dumber, in one year. The lesson: you got to have the players!

[Reilly]

... the 2 years of games against UCLA, December '65 ... UCLA had won the 1965 championship and came to North Carolina for a two game series, one night in Durham, the next in Charlotte ...

I saw a photo online -- maybe via Twitter -- of Bubas and Wooden visiting with Case during that NC 2-game series.

[60sDukie]

I was at Duke during the Bubas era (Lewis, Verga, etc.) when they were really good. I never told my parents but the basketball team was one of the main reasons I wanted to go to Duke. So I guess I can thank Vic Bubas for my Duke education.