Dave MacMillan
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 24, 1886 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | July 9, 1963 (aged 76) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Idaho |
| Playing career | |
| 190x | Oberlin |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Basketball | |
| 1920–1927 | Idaho |
| 1927–1942 | Minnesota |
| 1945–1948 | Minnesota |
| 1950 | Tri-Cities Blackhawks |
| Baseball | |
| 1921–1927 | Idaho |
| 1942–1947 | Minnesota |
David MacMillan (December 24, 1886 – July 9, 1963) was an American basketball coach.[1][2] He was a longtime head coach at the University of Minnesota (18 seasons, 1927–42, 1945–48),[3] and briefly coached the NBA's Tri-Cities Blackhawks in 1950, succeeding Red Auerbach.[4]
Born in New York City, he attended Oberlin College in Ohio before transferring to the University of Idaho.[2]
Before Minnesota, MacMillan was the head coach at the University of Idaho in Moscow,[5] his alma mater. He led the Vandals for seven seasons,[6][7] from 1920 to 1927, the last six in the Pacific Coast Conference.[8][9] In Idaho's first two seasons in the PCC, his upstart program won consecutive conference titles in 1922 and 1923.[10][11][12][13][14] He also coached baseball[15] and freshman football at Idaho,[16] and baseball at Minnesota from 1942 through 1947.[17]
MacMillan resigned at Minnesota at age 62 in March 1948, citing health reasons.[3] After his brief stint with the Blackhawks, MacMillan served as an assistant coach of the Minneapolis Lakers under John Kundla, who had been a player and assistant under MacMillan at Minnesota. He died from cancer at age 76 in Minneapolis.[1][2]
Head coaching record
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tri-Cities | 1950–51 | 23 | 9 | 14 | .391 | (replaced) | — | — | — | — | — |
Source[18]
References
- ^ a b "MacMillan, 77 ex-coach of Gophers, dies". Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. July 10, 1963. p. 4, sec. 3.
- ^ a b c (Washington) (July 10, 1963). "Ex-Idaho coach taken by death". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Associated Press. p. 13.
- ^ a b "MacMillan resigns as Minnesota coach". Milwaukee Journal. United Press. March 2, 1948. p. 2-part 2.
- ^ "Dave MacMillan to coach Tricities". Milwaukee Journal. Associated Press. May 2, 1950. p. 8-part 2.
- ^ Metzger, Sol (January 18, 1929). "Minnesota cagers adopt new system". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 20.
- ^ "M'Millan gets Minnesota job". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 17, 1927. p. 1, sports.
- ^ "David MacMillan goes to Big Ten". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 7, 1927. p. 3, sports.
- ^ "Idaho basketball". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1927. p. 166.
- ^ "Golden Gopher Men's Basketball Coaches". University of Minnesota Athletics. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
- ^ "Idaho five cinches conference title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. March 4, 1922. p. 14.
- ^ Boas, Louis A. (March 7, 1923). "Idaho five wins final contest". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 16.
- ^ "Idaho defeats Bears 29 to 25 captures title". Berkeley Daily Gazette. California. March 7, 1923. p. 9.
- ^ "Idaho champion". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. March 7, 1923. p. 1.
- ^ "Idaho's Vandals complete season". Argonaut. Moscow. University of Idaho. March 9, 1923. p. 1.
- ^ "Idaho baseball: 1926 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1927. p. 186.
- ^ "Stars to tutor teams at Idaho". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. September 17, 1922. p. 3-part 4.
- ^ "Minnesota court coach named baseball mentor". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. Associated Press. April 5, 1942. p. 13.
- ^ "Dave McMillan NBA Head Coaching Record". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
External links
- Sports Reference – Dave McMillan – Minnesota (1927–1948)
- Sports Reference – Dave MacMillan – Idaho (1920–1927)
- BasketballReference.com: Dave MacMillan