Wizards 101: Who has been the Wizards head coach?

July 22, 3:16 PMWashington Wizards ExaminerGeorge Panagakos

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Sam Cassell (right) brings championship attitude to
Washington's bench, but for now he's just an assistant.
(Photo © FORCV.com on June 18th, 2008)

From Jim Pollard in 1961 to Flip Saunders in 2009, the Washington Wizards have hired or rehired a head coach 24 times in franchise history.  Spurred by assistant coach Sam Cassell's 2-0 performance as head coach last weekend in Las Vegas, here's a look at the entire line-up over the last 48 years.

With only a single NBA Championship in their 1977-78 season, the Wizards have cycled through a fair share of head coach applicants.  Some were given a short leash, such as Doug Collins (2001-2003).  Others were given a second chance, such as Gene Shue (1966-73, 1980-86). 

Last season's 19-63 finish under Eddie Jordan and Ed Tapscott united Washington with their dismal franchise origins in 1961-62.   Then known as the Chicago Packers, the team went 18-62 under coach Jim Pollard.  The 2008-09 season also brought out comparisons between the 1966-67 season as well as the 2000-01 season, two of the worst seasons in franchise history and the latter matching that 19-63 outcome.  With Flip Saunders at the helm, and Washington assisted by Sam Cassell, Don Zierden, and Randy Wittman, the Wizards will try to make 2009-10 the first 50-win season since the Washington Bullets completed the feat in 1978-79.

Here's a look at every Wizards head coach from 1961 to the present:

10 Wizards Trivia Questions to Stump Your Friends

01. Name the former Washington Wizards head coach who played in the controversial 1972 Olympics Gold Medal game against the Soviet Union.
02. Who coached the Washington Wizards, then known as the Washington Bullets, for only a single game in the 1996-97 season?
03. Who is the winningest head coach in Washington's franchise history (42 games minimum)?
04. Who is the losingest head coach in Washington's franchise history (42 games minimum)?
05. Name the former Washington Bullet whose 56.1% field goal percentage led the league over the 1975-76 season, 12 years before he would become Washington's new head coach.
06. Name the only Wizards head coach to make it through 1,000 games.
07. How many times have the Wizards employed multiple head coaches over the same season?
08. How many head coaches have the Wizards hired since the franchise began in 1961?
09. What is Flip Saunders' real first name?
10. Name the former head coach who, as a coach, led the Washington Bullets to their first and only NBA Championship.

(A: 01. Doug Collins; 02. Bob Staak; 03. K.C. Jones, 155-91 (63.0%) over three seasons; 04. Jim Pollard, 18-62 (22.5%); 05. Wes Unseld; 06. Gene Shue (1,027); 07. 8 times ('62, '66, '85, '87, '96, '98, '99, '08); 08. 22 head coaches; 09. Phillip (Phil); 10. Dick Motta, (1977-78))
 

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