Stan Watts

Stanley H. Watts was a longtime head basketball coach at Brigham Young University (from 1949 to 1972). He retired from coaching in 1972 and served as the athletic director from 1972 to 1976. He became the sixth coach in history to win 100 games in his first five years. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986. In 2006 he was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

During his career at BYU, the Cougars appeared at seven NCAA tournaments, three NCAA tournament sweet sixteen, four National Invitation Tournament appearances (winning two championships). The team was WAC regular season champion five times.

Before BYU, he coached at Dixie Junior College from 1941 to 1945. He also coached at Jordan High School from 1945 to 1947. He was the freshman coach at BYU from 1947 to 1949.

Watts served on the board of directors of the National Association of Basketball Coaches from 1958 to 1968 as a president in 1970.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from BYU in 1938. He had lettered in basketball, baseball, and track and field at Weber State before going to BYU.

Watts and his wife, Emily, had three daughters and one son. He passed away on April 6, 2000.