[UT Vols News]

Ray Mears, the winningest coach in University of Tennessee basketball history, passed away at 1:15 p.m. today at NHC Health Care Center in Knoxville. He (born Nov. 8, 1926) was 80 years old. Arrangements are pending and will be announced by Rose Mortuary-Mann Heritage Chapel.

A native of Dover, Ohio, Mears led the Vols for 15 years from 1963-77. During his term, Mears tallied a remarkable record of 278-112 equaling an astounding .713 winning percentage. Mears averaged approximately 18.5 wins per season while at Tennessee.

The accomplishments by Mears over his 15 years have placed him in the top 20 of the Tennessee, SEC and NCAA coaching record books. Mears and his 278 wins currently places him No. 1 all time at Tennessee, and tied for eighth all time for the conference. In addition, his .713 winning percentage puts him seventh in the SEC.

In 21 seasons as a head coach Mears compiled a 399-135 record and a 74.7 winning percentage that currently ranks 17th among the winningest coaches in NCAA history.

LEGENDARY COACH RAY MEARS PASSES AWAY

[UT Vols News]

Anybody who knows me knows my favorite basketball player of all time was LSU's "Pistol" Pete Maravich, the NCAA's all-time scoring leader. If any of you kiddies out there don't know who I'm talking about and don't understand the Pistol's brilliance on a basketball court, just go to YouTube and punch up the Maravich mix. Anyway, the only coach that ever slowed Maravich was Tennessee's Ray Mears. He played a box-and-one on Maravich, and also had at least two defenders hounding him every time he glanced at the basket. Mears, who died last week at age 80, was a vastly underrated coach who happened to spend a chunk of his career coaching in the shadow of Kentucky's Adolph Rupp. Because UK was so dominant at the time and because only conference champions were invited to the NCAA Tournament, Mears' teams didn't get to the Big Dance enough times for him to be mentioned in the same breath as Rupp. But Mears, 15-15 vs. UK and 8-12 vs. Rupp, was a brilliant tactician, a master motivator and a superior showman.

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