Before he became the winningest coach in SIUE history, Larry Graham was an amazing basketball player. After setting Odom High School records for most career PTS/REB, he led the Bulldogs to the quarterfinals of the Indiana single-division state tournament before losing in sudden death, then played college basketball at Vincennes University and Texas Wesleyan. He later won a pair of Illinois state titles as a high school coach, then won almost 2/3 of his games as head coach of the Cougars. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Larry a few years ago and is proud to present this never-before-published interview. Today marks the 1-year anniversary of Larry’s passing so we take this time to celebrate his life/legacy.
Your nickname was “Buddy”: who gave you the nickname, and how did you like it? I was always called “Buddy” until I started coaching in Illinois, which is when they started calling me Larry. After I won an award 1 year they called me up to the stage as “Buddy”, and my players got such a kick out of it that it stuck again.
You were a 3-year starter at Odon High School where you made the 1959 state semifinals before losing to New Albany in the last-ever sudden-death OT game in state history: what are your memories of that game? I have tried to put it out of my mind! The 1st team to score 2 PTS would win the game and I am the guy who missed the last shot ever taken in the last-ever sudden-death OT game, which was not a good feeling. We should have won the game even though we were a small school playing against a big school: we kind of choked at the end of the game by missing some FTs. Even though we were a very small school we thought that we were like the famous “Hoosiers” of Milan after knocking a bunch of teams off. There were 12,000+ people at the game and we should have won because we led throughout, but after I missed the shot they came down and made a long shot to win it.
You later played college basketball at Vincennes/Texas Wesleyan: how did you 1st get into coaching? I wanted to become a pro basketball player and really thought that I would make it. 1 of my college coaches set me straight so from then on it was my dream to become a coach.
You later became an assistant coach of the women’s team at Lindenwood University: what is the biggest difference between coaching men vs. coaching women? I like to coach both genders. The women really listen to you so you have to be careful: they will do exactly what you say on offense even if the defense does something unexpected. They want to win and they play hard. I should have had them cutting harder and playing a more freelance style.
You won 2 state championships as a coach at Madison High School in 1977/1981: what did it mean to you to win a pair of titles? Everything! Madison was a diverse school with Black/White students so we had a lot of problems but everyone got behind the basketball team. We sold out our home games and traveled well. The title games were on TV and gave us a lot of confidence. The 1st 1 was so quick that I did not think about it but I was able to plan for the 2nd 1. It meant a lot to me/my players/the community.
After SIUE received some NCAA sanctions the program was suspended in 1983: why did you take the job to resurrect the program in 1984, and how much pressure was there on you? There was no pressure. I actually applied for the job after winning the 1981 title but they do not usually hire high school coaches. I was encouraged to reapply and took a $10,000 pay cut but I am glad that I did because it was a good learning experience.
The team also got a new home of its own when the Sam M. Vadalabene Center opened in 1984: how big a deal was it to get an on-campus arena? We used to play at the local high school so I was the 1st coach in the new gym and it was a big deal. People were excited about the program coming back.
What are your memories of the 1986 NCAA D-2 tourney (James Jappa scored 20 PTS in a 4-PT loss to Wright State)? It was a home-court tourney where you had to guarantee a certain amount of money to the NCAA. Wright State was a really good team but we were ahead for most of the game.
What are your memories of the 1987 NCAA D-2 tourney (John Edwards scored 31 PTS in a 3-PT loss to eventual champ Kentucky Wesleyan)? It was another road game against a great team but we represented ourselves well.
What are your memories of the 1989 NCAA D-2 tourney (Corey Crowder scored 36 PTS in an OT win by Kentucky Wesleyan, then Tim Brown scored 23 PTS in a 10-PT win over Ferris State in the 3rd-place game)? There was a loose ball in OT and when we got back to the huddle 2 of my best players snapped at each other so I benched them for the start of OT. I had planned to get them back in at the 1st dead ball…which took 2½ minutes! I remember the last play against Ferris State: 1 of our seniors had a wide-open look but he gave it to a teammate who had a better look.
You have been quoted as saying you were a laid-back coach but a “pretty big crybaby with the referees”: do you have any regrets? No regrets at all: that is my personality and I had my share of technical fouls. Usually when I was whistled for 1 I deserved it. I am a laid-back guy but I wanted things done my way and if the players messed up then I told them to do it again the right way.
Your 147 wins remain the most in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a coach you were, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? Someone will break my record if they ever keep a coach around long enough: no question. I just wanted to win games but was very fortunate to have good players. It is a hard place to coach: it used to be a commuter campus but it is hard to draw recruits there. It is going to be a great program down the road in several years because it is a great campus in a great location.
You won 806 games in high school/college: what made you such a great coach? That is all I knew. I was totally dedicated to it and was a gym rat so my players respected me for that. I was there during good times/tough times and was able to identify with African-American players, which did not hurt.
In 2007 you were named 1 of the “100 Legends of the Illinois High School Basketball tournament” and in 2012 you were inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame: where do these moments rank among the highlights of your career? They were huge! I am also in a couple of other Hall of Fames but those 2 were big honors. I also got into the Indiana Hall of Fame as a player, which was great because I grew up there.
When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I really have not thought about it but I was a hard worker who was dedicated to my players. Obviously I want them to know that I was a winner but I could not have done it without my players/assistants. I enjoyed working with minority athletes and got the best out of them: I think I made a difference in a lot of people’s lives.