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OGDEN — Weber State athletics is in mourning.
The Wildcats’ Hall of Fame former basketball head coach Ron Abegglen died Wednesday night, the school announced Thursday. He was 81.
A native of Vernal who played four years at BYU, Abegglen led Weber State from 1991-99, compiling a 152-83 overall record, the third-most wins in Weber State history.
His teams won 20 or more games in five seasons, including Big Sky titles in 1994, 1995 and 1999.
Under Abegglen, Weber State did something its basketball program has not done since — win two NCAA Tournament games. He led the No. 14-seeded Wildcats to a 79-72 upset of Michigan State in 1995, then added a thrilling 76-74 upset victory over North Carolina in 1999.
It’s easy to remember Harold “The Show” Arceneaux and Eddie Gill in that game. But Abegglen led the Wildcats just as much, if not more, than any player on the court.
Born Aug. 19, 1937, Abegglen graduated from Uintah High School and enrolled at BYU. His first coaching job was at Morgan High, where he spent 13 years as a head coach, including a perfect 26-0 season and the Class 2A state title in his final season. He then went on to stops at Snow Junior College and Alaska-Anchorage before becoming the seventh head coach in Weber State history in 1991.
After leaving Ogden, Abegglen spent two seasons as head coach of the London Tower in the British Basketball League before retiring to Utah and spending time as a golf professional at Paradise Golf Course in Fillmore, Utah.
