Hugh Greer

Hugh Scott Greer (August 5, 1904 – January 14, 1963) was an American men's college basketball coach. Known as the "Father of Connecticut Basketball," he was the head coach of the UConn Huskies men's basketball team from 1947 to 1963. He developed the program into a regional powerhouse, winning 12 Yankee Conference titles and making seven NCAA tournament appearances during his 17 seasons. Most notably, the Huskies won 10 consecutive conference championships from 1951 to 1960, which was the longest streak of any program in NCAA Division I history at the time and remains the fourth-longest streak as of 2025.

With 286 wins and a .719 winning percentage, Greer spent more than three decades as the all-time winningest coach in UConn men's basketball history until he was surpassed by Jim Calhoun in 1999.

Biography Early life and education Born on August 5, 1904, in Suffield, Connecticut, Greer graduated from Suffield Academy before attending Connecticut Agricultural College (CAC), now the University of Connecticut.

During his 17 seasons as head coach, Greer led Connecticut to its first Yankee Conference title in 1948, first NCAA tournament appearance in 1951, first NIT appearance in 1955 and first NCAA tournament win in 1956. With his 1953–54 team, he famously coached UConn to a 78–77 victory against undefeated Holy Cross, breaking the Crusaders' 47-game home winning streak. (That season, Holy Cross went on to win the 1954 NIT title.)

The Huskies were 10 games into the 1962–63 season when Greer unexpectedly died of a heart attack on January 14, 1963, at the age of 58. 1985: Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame 2003: New England Basketball Hall of Fame