Former NBA, college coach Dick Harter dies

Mar 13, 2012 - 5:25 PM Hilton Head, SC (Sports Network) - Former NBA and college coach Dick Harter died of cancer Monday. He was 81.

Harter was the first head coach of the expansion Hornets in 1988, leading the then-Charlotte-based team to a 28-94 record in his 1 1/2 seasons at the helm. He was also a well-traveled NBA assistant, serving under Chuck Daly with the Pistons, Pat Riley with the Knicks and P.J. Carlesimo with the Trail Blazers. He made two stops with the Pacers, serving on coach Jack Ramsay's staff from 1986-88 and later assisting Larry Bird from 1997-00.

Prior to his tenure in the NBA, Harter was the head coach at Rider University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Oregon, compiling a 295-196 collegiate record with two Ivy League championships and two NCAA appearances at Penn, his alma mater.

The Pottstown, Pennsylvania, native is a member of the Big Five Hall of Fame in Philadelphia and the University of Oregon Hall of Fame.