By Bert Leeson

MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine athletics mourns the passing of former men’s basketball head coach Gary Colson on Friday, November 3, 2023. He was 89 years old.

A 1996 Pepperdine Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Colson coached some of the Waves’ earliest star players. Hired after a decade coaching at Valdosta State, Colson helped the Waves reach unprecedented heights upon his arrival. During his 11-year tenure from 1968-79, he had a .528 winning percentage (153-137), win the 1976 WCC title and made the NCAA Tournament twice. Colson is the only Pepperdine men’s basketball head coach with multiple NCAA Tournament wins: His 1976 squad beat Memphis State and the 1979 team beat Utah. He was the 1976 WCC Coach of the Year, marking the first time a Pepperdine men’s basketball coach won the award.

Several of Colson’s players are still prominently in the program records. He coached All-Americans Bird Averitt and Marcos Leite, plus eventual NBA Hall of Famer Dennis Johnson.

Later in his career, Colson was also the head coach at New Mexico and Fresno State before stepping away from coaching in 1995. All told, he recorded more than 500 career wins.

After his time as a head coach, he joined the front office of the Memphis Grizzlies and served as the Assistant to the President of Basketball Operations, Jerry West.

“Coach Colson put Pepperdine men’s basketball on the national college basketball map,” Pepperdine Director of Athletics Dr. Steve Potts said. “He was a true scholar of the game and his coaching legacy extends far and wide. Having served as the Director of Athletics at Lipscomb University, Coach’s alma mater, I know he was a basketball and baseball star and so loved and respected by the Lipscomb community. I’m praying for God’s blessing and peace for Mary Katherine and all the Colson family.”

“Gary Colson had a significant impact on Pepperdine Athletics and the men’s basketball program,” Pepperdine men’s volleyball head coach emeritus Marv Dunphy said. “He coached with infectious enthusiasm, caring and kindness. Most of all, he was authentic. In an era where a lot of coaches used fear as a motivator, he never did, and that allowed his players to play free.  To this day, his players have a special love for him.”

COURTESY PEPPERDINE ATHLETICS