Former Iowa State, Michigan coach Johnny Orr dies at 86

Johnny Orr, the charismatic basketball coach and father of Hilton Magic who woke up a sleepy Iowa State program, died Tuesday at the age of 86.

Orr's arrival in Ames in 1980 shocked the college basketball world.

He gave up the power and prestige of Michigan for a Cyclones program that had suffered through five losing seasons in the six years before Orr arrived.

"I can't say I never regretted it," Orr said in a 2004 interview. "That first day of practice I regretted it. But I got over that."

Orr became Iowa State's winningest — and losingest — coach with a 218-200 record in his 14 seasons in Ames. He also remains Michigan's winningest coach, with a 209-113 mark.

His 1984-85 team earned Iowa State its first NCAA Tournament berth in 40 years.
Orr took five more Cyclone teams to the NCAAs during his stay, including a Sweet 16 season in 1985-86 when his team knocked off Michigan in what Orr considered his greatest Cyclone triumph. Future Olympian and first-round NBA draft pick Jeff Grayer was one of the key ingredients.

"Coach Orr was someone you could just flat-out love," Grayer said.

Playing an up-tempo style that was much more successful at home than on the road, Orr's teams won just 40.3 percent of their Big Eight games.

But the Cyclones were dynamic at home. Orr's teams won 76.7 percent of their games played at Hilton Coliseum, including 20 victories over Top 25 teams.

Orr's popularity among Iowa State's fan base was not a reflection of his record, though his teams won more than Iowa State fans had been accustomed to. His charm, charisma and wit, profane as it was at times, made him an Iowa icon.

"I remember one time (former Indiana coach) Bobby Knight said to me, 'Orr, you're 9-6 and they're cheering you. I'm 16-2 and they're booing me,'" Orr recalled.