We saw a lot of long-time college basketball coaches retire earlier this year (Bob McKillop, Mike Krzyzewski, Jay Wright, etc.) but Dick Peth was not 1 of them. Next month he will begin his 26th season as head coach of the Wartburg College Knights when he travels to Cedar Falls to face Northern Iowa on November 7th. A basketball lifer, Peth played for Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson at Iowa and was captain of the squad that won the 1979 Big 10 title. After retiring as a player he won 200+ games as head coach at the University of Denver, and he is 1 of only 2 active D-3 men’s basketball head coaches with 600+ career victories. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Peth about playing for “The Silver Fox” and winning 79 straight games at home. Today marks the 1-year anniversary of Coach Peth being inducted into the Denver Hall of Fame on October 15, 2021, so we take this time to reflect on his remarkable accomplishments.
You played basketball at Iowa in the late 1970s under Hall of Fame coach Lute Olson: what made Olson such a great coach, and what was the most important thing you ever learned from him? Coach Olson was a tremendous teacher of the game. I learned more about the game in terms of X’s & O’s than I ever dreamed possible in my 4 years. He was also a tremendous competitor whose competitive spirit transferred to his players. Lastly, he was able to convince players to assume a specific “role,” thus complementing each other’s abilities. He passed on players during the recruiting process if they were not a great fit for the team or for the school.
You were captain of the 1979 team that won the Big 10 title: what made you such a good leader, and what did it mean to you to win the conference title? I believe that I was chosen as captain because of my ability to lead by example, as well as being a good communicator on the floor. As upperclassmen we were encouraged to hold ourselves as well as our teammates accountable. There was a drive to succeed each and every game. The Big 10 was an elite conference with 2 teams winning a national championship during my 4 years at Iowa (Indiana in 1976 & Michigan State in 1979). Winning a Big 10 title is what we expected of ourselves so we prepared each day like champions. It is a great feeling to know that we were the last Hawkeye team to win a Big 10 regular season title. To this day, that accomplishment is the highlight of my playing career.
What are your memories of the 1979 NCAA tourney (you scored 3 PTS in a 2-PT loss to Toledo)? I remember thinking how closely the game was called (I fouled out!), unlike Big 10 officials who would let us play a more physical game. I also remember the feeling of emptiness after the game: I truly did not want my career to end so abruptly. I remember hiding my tears and not wanting to take off my jersey that I had worn so proudly during the previous 4 years. It is a memory that affects the way I approach the game today several decades later.
1 of your teammates at Iowa was walk-on Kirk Speraw, who became an assistant coach at your alma mater back in 2010 and retired last May: what was Kirk like back in the day, and did you ever imagine that both of you would become such successful coaches? Kirk entered the program as a walk-on and earned a scholarship, which indicates what the coaching staff thought of him and his abilities as a player. He was an excellent competitor who was a great asset to our team’s success. He later became a graduate assistant and had the opportunity to be on the staff that went to the Final 4 in 1980. I have great respect for Kirk and am not at all surprised by the tremendous success he earned during his coaching career. He is truly 1 of the great people who I admire in this profession!
In 1980 you won the AAU national tourney as a member of the Airliner Basketball Club: what was the competition like in AAU ball back then, and what did it mean to you to win the title? The competition was outstanding! We played against some former NBA players at the national tourney. Our team was composed of a bunch of great competitors who knew how to win. There was that “will to win” after losing in the NCAA tourney the previous March.
You were an assistant coach at Denver under Floyd Theard in the early 1980s and ended up becoming head coach in 1985 after he died from a heart attack: how were you able to cope with his tragic loss, and how hard was it for you to take over as head coach? I had the opportunity to work with Coach Theard for 3 years at Iowa before he left to take the head coaching job at his alma mater (Kentucky State). He worked with the guards during our breakdown drills on a daily basis. I was an assistant coach for 3 years at Denver before the untimely loss of Coach Theard: I was just 28 years old at the time. My knowledge of the game increased dramatically under Coach Theard, who was definitely 1 of the top up-and-coming coaches in the country at that time. After his untimely death I was hired as the head coach on an interim basis. Fortunately, I was surrounded by a great group of players who were outstanding competitors so we were able to continue with our recent successes. Every time that I was at a crossroads I would always ask myself how Coach Theard would handle the situation. I felt that I was always making the right decision in the best interest of the program.
The Pioneers won 79 straight home games from 1980-1985: how were you able to have such a big home-court advantage, and did it reach the point where the fans just expected you to win every single home game? I was fortunate to be part of the winning streak from 1982-1985. It was something that was inexplicable: we did not have great crowds or anything of that nature. Coach Theard did an outstanding job preparing our team for each and every 1 of our games. The strangest part of the streak is that it started and ended with the very same team (Northern Colorado)!
You won more than 200 games at Denver, where you remain the all-time winningest coach in school history: what makes you such a great coach, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? I was fortunate to always have quality players who were willing to fulfill their roles on our team. Recruiting is our livelihood and there were a lot of outstanding players we kept home because they also wanted to experience living in Denver. To this day Denver holds a special place in my heart. I have recently spoken with some of our former players who want to get together in the near future and celebrate our successes.
You have spent more than a quarter-century as head coach at Wartburg College: what is the biggest difference between D-1/D-2/D-3 basketball, and how long do you plan on sticking around for? There are many differences between the various levels. The D-1 level is closely tied in with big business and how many people you can put in the seats. The D-2 level is a great brand of ball without the higher level athletes. However, the purest form of combining academics/athletics is at the D-3 level. The D-3 players are just as committed as the other levels, generally not as skilled or athletic, but their will to win is no different than that of the higher levels.
Your daughter Rachel was the 2010 Iowa state champ in the 100-meter hurdles and continued her all-state volleyball career at Northern Iowa: who is the best athlete in the family? Rachel is a very gifted athlete who has worked extremely hard to obtain a high level of success. She won 4 events at the state track meet in Des Moines: she was a part of the winning shuttle hurdle relay, 100-meter dash champ, set a state 3A record while winning the 100-meter hurdles, and also won the 200-meter dash. This gave her 6 state titles in track & 1 state title in volleyball! She was introduced to track by her older brother Derek who competed as a 3-time All-American at Wartburg. Derek was a great inspiration who spent countless hours working with Rachel to help her become the athlete she is today. She was very blessed to have the opportunity to continue playing college volleyball for such an outstanding program/coaching staff at UNI. She surpassed all of her immediate family’s accomplishments during her high school career.
