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Dave Strack

1923 – 2014

American college sports coach and administrator

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About Dave Strack

Lived 1923 – 2014 (aged 90). Dave Strack was an American basketball coach and basketball player.

David Hessong Strack (March 2, 1923 – January 25, 2014) was an American athletic director for the University of Arizona and head basketball coach at the University of Michigan. He was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

Early life Strack grew up in Indiana and graduated from Shortridge High School in Indianapolis, where he was the basketball team's captain and MVP in 1941 and was named to the Indiana All-Star team. Strack played college basketball at the University of Michigan (UM), earning MVP honors in 1943 and 1946. He returned to UM and served as an assistant coach from 1948 to 1959,

In May 1960, Strack was hired as the head coach back at the University of Michigan, and served from 1960 to 1968. He led the Wolverines to three Big Ten Conference titles (1964, 1965, 1966) and the 1965 NCAA Tournament title game. Following his team's 24–4 record and runner-up finish in 1965, Strack was named the UPI College Basketball Coach of the Year.

Athletic director In 1968, Strack became the University of Michigan's business manager, then the associate athletic director in 1970.

Strack resigned in January 1972 to become the athletic director of the University of Arizona. Strack's tenure at Arizona included the hiring of the first African-American head coach of a major university (basketball coach Fred Snowden) and the school's transition into the Pac-10 athletic conference. In 1980, Strack was criticized following a scandal involving the football program's use of an athletic slush fund for improper payments to coaches, alumni and recruits. Strack resigned in July 1982 to become a professor of physical education.

In 1992, Strack was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame. Strack, aged 90, died of pneumonia in 2014.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
University of Michigan, Shortridge High School
Also known as
David Hessong Strack

People in Dave Strack's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Dave Strack's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Dave Strack?

American college sports coach and administrator (1923–2014)

When was Dave Strack born?

Dave Strack was born on 2 March 1923 in Indianapolis.

When did Dave Strack die?

Dave Strack died on 25 January 2014 in Tucson.

What was Dave Strack's occupation?

Dave Strack was a basketball coach and basketball player.

What nationality was Dave Strack?

Dave Strack was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Dave Strack

· Wikidata: Q5229939

· DBpedia: Dave Strack

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Dave Strack. https://biography.guide/dave-strack/

MLA: "Dave Strack." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/dave-strack/.

Chicago: "Dave Strack." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/dave-strack/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-21 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence

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