Legendary CSU Coach Boyd Grant Passes Away At the Age of 87
8/17/2020 11:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Grant played and was an assistant under legendary coach Jim Williams before serving four years as the Rams' leader
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Colorado State University athletic department is sad to announce former men's basketball standout and head coach Boyd "Tiny" Grant passed away today at the age of 87. Grant (B.S., '57; M.Ed., '62) suffered a stroke on Saturday and was unable to recover.
A name synonymous with Colorado State University basketball both as a player and as one of the finest coaches in school history, Grant came to Colorado A&M in 1955 to play guard for legendary coach Jim Williams during the early days of Williams' long career with the Rams. After graduation he cut his teeth as a coach in the high school ranks and in 1960 returned to Colorado State University to assist Williams. Grant spent 12 years as Williams' assistant coach and as assistant freshman coach. The teams coached by Williams and Grant won a conference championship in 1961 and participated in four NCAA Tournaments.
After spending two years at Kentucky as an assistant coach, Grant moved on to become a head coach in the junior colleges, including a NJCAA National Title in 1976, before he became a highly successful head coach at Fresno State University. He took the Bulldogs to three Western Athletic Conference championships, three NCAA Tournaments and the 1983 NIT Championship, eventually being inducted in the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
Grant left Fresno State in 1987 and returned to Colorado State in the fall of that same year to take over as the Rams' head basketball coach. In four seasons, Grant compiled an 81-46 record (.638) winning the school's only two WAC Championships. (1989 and 1990) He took CSU to a third-place finish in the 1988 NIT and two NCAA Tournaments in 1989 and 1990. Following the 1991 season, Grant retired from coaching, finishing with a career record of 275-120.
"Boyd Grant had a profound influence on me not only in my career in athletics at CSU, but as a husband, father and friend," longtime CSU Sports Information Director Gary Ozzello said. "He was and remained a mentor and friend to me through the years. I remember two things about Coach Grant: How much his players loved him, and how passionate he was about CSU. He told me 20 years ago he had already purchased a Green & Gold casket to be buried in. He brought the magic back to Moby."
At Snow College for his first two years, Grant was on the 1953 football team, also coached by his old friend Jim Williams, that was ranked #15 in the nation and won the ICAC Conference championship. In basketball, his team won the ICAC Conference championship (a first for Snow) and went on to lose the 1954 National Junior College Association championship game in overtime. For his efforts, he was inducted into that school's hall of fame in 2016.
Major Accomplishments:
A name synonymous with Colorado State University basketball both as a player and as one of the finest coaches in school history, Grant came to Colorado A&M in 1955 to play guard for legendary coach Jim Williams during the early days of Williams' long career with the Rams. After graduation he cut his teeth as a coach in the high school ranks and in 1960 returned to Colorado State University to assist Williams. Grant spent 12 years as Williams' assistant coach and as assistant freshman coach. The teams coached by Williams and Grant won a conference championship in 1961 and participated in four NCAA Tournaments.
After spending two years at Kentucky as an assistant coach, Grant moved on to become a head coach in the junior colleges, including a NJCAA National Title in 1976, before he became a highly successful head coach at Fresno State University. He took the Bulldogs to three Western Athletic Conference championships, three NCAA Tournaments and the 1983 NIT Championship, eventually being inducted in the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
Grant left Fresno State in 1987 and returned to Colorado State in the fall of that same year to take over as the Rams' head basketball coach. In four seasons, Grant compiled an 81-46 record (.638) winning the school's only two WAC Championships. (1989 and 1990) He took CSU to a third-place finish in the 1988 NIT and two NCAA Tournaments in 1989 and 1990. Following the 1991 season, Grant retired from coaching, finishing with a career record of 275-120.
"Boyd Grant had a profound influence on me not only in my career in athletics at CSU, but as a husband, father and friend," longtime CSU Sports Information Director Gary Ozzello said. "He was and remained a mentor and friend to me through the years. I remember two things about Coach Grant: How much his players loved him, and how passionate he was about CSU. He told me 20 years ago he had already purchased a Green & Gold casket to be buried in. He brought the magic back to Moby."
At Snow College for his first two years, Grant was on the 1953 football team, also coached by his old friend Jim Williams, that was ranked #15 in the nation and won the ICAC Conference championship. In basketball, his team won the ICAC Conference championship (a first for Snow) and went on to lose the 1954 National Junior College Association championship game in overtime. For his efforts, he was inducted into that school's hall of fame in 2016.
Major Accomplishments:
- National Junior College Basketball Hall of Fame (1989)
- Colorado State University Athletic Hall of Fame (1999)
- Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame (1993)
- Snow College Hall of Fame (2016)
- All-Time Division I head coaching record 275-120
- Coached in nine NCAA tournaments
- Coached Fresno State to 1983 NIT Championship