Former Nuggets Head Coach Doug Moe Dies at 87
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Doug Moe, who guided the Denver Nuggets through a fast-paced decade that rewrote the NBA’s record book, died Tuesday at age 87, the franchise announced.
The San Antonio Express-News reported through writers Mike Monroe and Tom Orsborn that Moe had been battling an undisclosed illness.
Moe’s playing career stretched from Italy to the American Basketball Association between 1965 and 1972, but chronic knee trouble pushed him to the sidelines early and opened the door to coaching.
He took his first NBA head-coaching post with the San Antonio Spurs in 1976, spending four seasons there. In 1980 he moved to Denver, where his run lasted a full decade and became synonymous with high-octane offense. Moe’s 1981-82 Nuggets averaged 126.5 points per game, still the highest single-season mark in league history, and remain the only team to top 100 points in every one of 82 regular-season contests.
After leaving Denver in 1990, Moe briefly coached the Philadelphia 76ers and later returned to the Nuggets in advisory and assistant roles before retiring. His NBA head-coaching résumé closed at 628–529 in the regular season, highlighted by the 1988 Coach of the Year award.
“Coach Moe was a one-of-a-kind leader and person,” the Nuggets said in a statement. “He will forever be loved and remembered by Nuggets fans.”
Source: Hoops Wire
