Assistant Basketball Coach Fred Litzenberger to Retire
EUGENE, Ore. ? Veteran men’s assistant basketball coach Fred Litzenberger announced on Thursday that he will retire from the University effective August 1, but said he intends to remain active in the coaching profession.
"I love coaching basketball. It’s what I’ve done for almost 40 years," said Litzenberger. "At the same time, I think it’s time for me to look at some other things and find some new challenges.
"But I’m going to miss seeing the same friends every day that I’ve worked with for the past 10 years," he continued. "And I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of a truly great institution that is the University of Oregon and to be embraced by the really special community that is Eugene."
A search for Litzenberger’s replacement will begin in the near future.
"Fred has done a tremendous job for us in terms of the experience and tactical expertise he brought to the table," said Oregon head coach Ernie Kent. "We’re going to miss that. On a personal level, I’ve known Fred since 1987 when we were both assistants under Boyd Grant at Colorado State. That’s an 18-year relationship and I am certainly going to miss having him in the gym with us."
The 57-year-old Litzenberger, Kent’s assistant for the past four years, has been a part of 10 straight winning seasons at Oregon -- four with the men’s team and six prior to that with the UO women. He was a part of three Pac-10 titles in the last seven years and advanced to the postseason nine times. He counts 18 NCAA tournaments during his 38-year coaching career.
Prior to 2001-02 when he brought his tenacity to the Oregon men’s team, the Longmont, Colo., native spent six seasons (1995-01) as a highly regarded defensive tactician for the Oregon women. During his tenure, he helped coach the Ducks to six straight NCAA Tournament appearances and back-to-back Pac-10 titles in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. His defensive schemes were among the toughest in the nation to crack, as Oregon led the Pac-10 in scoring defense three times under his direction (1995-96/59.2 ppg, 1996-97/59.7 ppg, 1998-99/59.2 ppg) and twice led the league in field goal percentage defense (1998-99/.364, 2000-01/.394).
"Litz" came to Oregon following several stops as a men’s head and assistant coach. He was the head men’s coach at Western State College in Colorado (1994-95) and associate men’s head coach at Northwestern State (1993-94). His collegiate coaching resume also includes a two-year stint as an assistant at Miami, Fla. (1991-93) under Leonard Hamilton, four seasons at Colorado State (1987-91), two at Eastern Washington (1985-87), and five at Fresno State (1981-85).
In addition to his numerous trips to the NCAA Tournament, Litzenberger’s career featured a head coaching ledger of 194-62, 12 20-win seasons, five conference championships four National Invitation Tournament appearances, including an NIT title with Fresno State in 1983. Also, his four-year stint as head coach at Hamline (Minn.) University (1975-79) featured a trip to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1977.
Earning an undergraduate degree in physical education (1968) as well as a master’s (1980) from Northern Colorado, the three-year letterman broke into the coaching ranks as the freshman coach at Berthoud (Colo.) High School in 1966-67. He then became an assistant at his alma mater in 1967-68 before moving to the head coaching job at Middle Park High School at Granby, Colo., in 1968-69. A U.S. Army veteran, Litzenberger was the head coach of the Army team at Ft. Huachuca in Arizona from 1970-71.
His teams led the nation in scoring defense four times and were ranked in the top 10 in numerous defensive categories throughout his career. Litzenberger has produced books and videos on defensive fundamentals that are sold throughout the world, and said he plans on expanding that part of his career.
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