John Caine

John E. Caine (October 9, 1924 – July 9, 2010) was an American coach and administrator who was the head men's basketball coach at Cerritos College (1958–1964), Lea College (1966–1967), and Eastern Illinois (1967–1968) and athletic director at Cal State Fullerton (1968–1972), San Jose State (1972–1976), Oregon (1976–1981), and UC Irvine (1983–1989).

Early life Caine was born in Ashland, Kentucky on October 9, 1924. He attended Paul G. Blazer High School, where he was a member of the basketball team. He graduated in 1942 and joined the United States Army in 1943. He served in the European theatre during World War II and was discharged in February 1946. He assisted with the Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball while working on his doctorate in physical education. He then spent one season as head basketball coach at Lea College. In 1967, he joined the staff at Eastern Illinois University as an associate professor in the school of health, physical educator, and recreation and coordinator of student teachers. When head basketball coach Rex Darling resigned, Caine took the job on an interim basis.

Athletic director On May 24, 1968, Caine was named athletic director at California State University, Fullerton. He took the same job at San Jose State University on July 1, 1972. In 1973, he hired Darryl Rogers, who led the Spartans football team to its first winning season since 1961. During Caine's tenure at Oregon, the athletic department generated $18.5 million, increased annual revenue from $2.1 million to $5 million, and secured $6 million in pledges for a new basketball arena (which was never built). He was awarded a six-year contract in 1979. The athletic department lost $163,766 during the 1978–79 academic year and $200,040 in 1979–80. Caine was never implicated in any of these scandals. Shortly after his resignation, Oregon eliminated its baseball, women's soccer, men's gymnastics and women's golf programs to cut costs. He remained in this position until 1989, when he was reassigned to the position of special assistant to the chancellor for athletic policy and planning.

Later life and death Caine retired in 1990 and moved to Elkhorn, Idaho. In 2000, he was inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame. He died on July 9, 2010, from complications of Parkinson's disease.