Stu Starner

Stuart John Starner (April 8, 1943 – July 17, 2024) was an American college basketball coach. He was an NCAA Division I head men's coach for eleven seasons for Montana State University and the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA).

Career A native of Hoffman, Minnesota, Starner played college basketball and football at the University of Minnesota Morris, graduating in 1965. After a successful high school coaching career in Wabasso and Richfield, Minnesota, Starner moved to the college ranks in 1978 as a graduate assistant at Minnesota. After assistant roles at Montana State in Bozeman and a second stint at Minnesota, Starner was hired in April 1983 as the head coach at Montana State. In his third season in 1986, Starner's Bobcats won the Big Sky Conference tournament as the sixth seed, gaining an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the only team in the field with a losing overall record. The following season, the Bobcats won the Big Sky Conference regular season title behind Conference Player of the Year Tom Domako.

In 1990, Starner took the unusual step of requesting a one-year sabbatical from his head coaching position at Montana State. His request was granted and assistant Mick Durham was named interim head coach. However, Starner surprised the school two months later by accepting the head coaching position at UTSA. Starner spent five seasons coaching the Roadrunners, Starner resigned in 1995 with an 84–58 record at the school. His teams won conference regular season championships in 1991 and 1992.

Death Starner died at age 81 on July 17, 2024, in Bozeman, Montana.

Head coaching record