Jan. 28, 2010

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Bud Millikan, who coached men's basketball at the University of Maryland from 1950 to 1967, has died at the age of 89, according to current head coach and Millikan protégé Gary Williams.

Millikan coached for 17 seasons at Maryland and compiled a 243-182 (.572) record. The Terrapins reached the NCAA Elite Eight and won the Atlantic Coast Conference title in the 1957-58 season. That Terrapin team went 22-7 and finished sixth in the nation in the final rankings.

Williams played as a point guard for Millikan's Maryland varsity team from the 1964-65 season through 1966-67. Williams said Millikan's coaching style gave a number of his players the inspiration they needed to become successful coaches in their own right.

"He was my coach for all four years," said Williams, who noted that Millikan also played and learned under legendary Hall of Fame coach Dr. Henry Iba. "I think his strength was he was a very strict fundamentals coach. That was an important part of a number of us becoming head coaches."

Williams noted that players like Billy Jones (UMBC), Joe Harrington (Hofstra, George Mason, Long Beach State, Colorado), Terry Truax (Towson) and Billy Franklin (Bowie HS) were all head-coaching products of Millikan's program.

"To have that many coaches come off one team shows that if you listened, you picked up a lot of good things," said Williams. "He was a tough coach and if you wanted to play, you did things his way. He was a great person."

Millikan was inducted to the University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988.

Information regarding memorial services was not immediately available.

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