Bill Fitch, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his role as the first head coach in Cavaliers history, died at the age of 89.
After obtaining a statement from Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who began his own career as a player and assistant under Fitch in the 1980s, longtime NBA reporter Mac Stein announced Fitch’s death late Wednesday night.
“He died quietly surrounded by his lovely family in Lake Conroe, Texas,” Carlisle told Stein Fitch, and the league later confirmed the tragedy on its website.
Did Bill Fitch win a championship?
Fitch coached the Cavs for their first nine seasons, including the 1976 ‘Miracle of Richfield.’ With the Boston Celtics, he later won an NBA championship.
Fitch, a man with a flair for converting losing teams into winners, managed five different NBA teams during his 25-year NBA career, including a league title with the Boston Celtics in 1981. His longest tenure with any team was with the Cavaliers, which he led from 1970 until 1979.