Iona's Cluess Earns CollegeInsider.com's Gene Bartow Award
CollegeInsider.com
BOSTON, MA -- Former Iona College men's basketball head coach
Tim Cluess is the recipient of the 2020 Gene Bartow award, recognizing outstanding achievement and contributions to the game.
Cluess stepped away from coaching, but he left behind quite a coaching legacy. In nine seasons he made nine trips to the postseason.
In his first season Iona finished 25-12 and advanced to the championship game of the 2011 CIT. The following season Cluess guided Iona to the first of six trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels also made two trips to the NIT under Cluess who posted eight straight 20-win seasons and won 25 games three times.
Tim Cluess' five MAAC tournament championships are more than any other coach in league history. He also completed his tenure at Iona as No. 1 in MAAC tournament wins and No. 3 in MAAC regular season wins. At Iona, his 199 victories ranks No. 2 all-time.
The Gene Bartow award recognizes outstanding achievement and contributions to the game.
Bartow spent 36 years as a head coach, posting a 647-353 record. He led Memphis State to the 1973 NCAA championship game, losing to UCLA in St. Louis, the last in the Bruins' streak of seven straight titles. After leaving Memphis to coach at the University of Illinois, Bartow succeeded legendary UCLA coach John Wooden at UCLA in 1975. In two seasons at UCLA, Bartow's Bruins had a 52-9 won-lost record and reached the 1976 NCAA Final Four.
Then, following the 1976-77 season, Bartow departed UCLA to start a basketball program at the University of Alabama Birmingham as both head coach and director of athletics. He served at UAB for 18 years, leading the Blazers to the National Invitation Tournament in the program's second year of existence. Overall, he guided UAB to seven straight NCAA tournament berths, reaching the Sweet 16 in 1981 and the Elite Eight in 1982.
While at UAB, Bartow became the winningest coach in Sun Belt Conference history with 111 career Sun Belt wins. In 2005 Bartow was honored as the all-time Sun Belt Men's Basketball Coach during the league's celebration of its 30th anniversary.
In 1996, Bartow retired from coaching and UAB honored him by naming its basketball facility Bartow Arena the following year. Most recently, the 81-year old Bartow was the president of Hoops LP, the parent company of the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies and the FedEx Forum.
All-time Gene Bartow Award Winners:
2013 - Bob Thomason - Pacific
2014 - Cliff Ellis - Coastal Carolina
2015 - Fran O'Hanlon - Lafayette
2016 - Phil Martelli - Saint Joseph's
2017 - Pat Skerry - Towson
2018 - Ron Hunter - Georgia State
2019 - Fran Dunphy - Temple
2020 - Tim Cluess - Iona
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