Mick Durham (2006) - Hall of Fame - Montana State University Athletics

Mick Durham

Induction:
2006
Class:
2006

Mick Durham- Basketball, 1975-80- Assistant Basketball Coach, 1982-90- Head Basketball Coach, 1990-2006 Years at MSU: 1975-90, 1982-2006 Honors Earned: Big Sky Coach of the Year three times Hometown: Three Forks, Mont. In a day and age when sound bites trump substance and four years at one school seems an eternity, Mick Durham stands alone. Durham’s unquestioned loyalty to Montana State, and his passion for the game of basketball first emerged as a Bobcat freshman in 1975, continuing through an outstanding playing career. In 1983, he became an assistant at MSU, and in 1990 took over the program’s reigns as head coach. For 16 years, Durham consistently led the Bobcats to success. Activated to the varsity late in his freshman season of 1975-76, Durham became a starter as a sophomore and never looked back. His career was interrupted by a 1978 knee injury, but he finished his playing career as the most proficient free throw shooter over the course of a game and a season in school history. He remains in MSU’s top 10 in free throw percentage in a season. Upon completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from MSU, Durham coached at Shepherd High for two years, returning to the Bobcat program in 1982, working as an assistant for Bruce Haroldson, then Stu Starner. When Starner departed in 1990, Durham moved seamlessly into the program’s top spot. Upon his retirement Durham said that things didn’t come easy for him, but he made coaching the Bobcats seem effortless, a fact that belied the extreme amount of effort and hours he put into the job. Through his time as a Bobcat head coach, he won 246 games and three Big Sky Coach of the Year awards. The 1996 Big Sky Champions stand as one of the greatest teams in Montana State University’s storied basketball history. The lasting testimony to Durham’s class and the respect he earned within his profession was the outpouring of complements from his peers when he set the Big Sky’s all-time win mark. Durham was exalted as an outstanding coach who comported himself with class and grace at all times, something basketball fans in the Gallatin Valley had known for many years.