Stu Starner
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Legendary Former Bobcat Basketball Coach Stu Starner Passes Away
7/18/2024 4:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Starner led MSU to Big Sky regular season and tournament championships
BOZEMAN, Montana – Former Montana State men's basketball coach Stu Starner, who revived Bobcat basketball's tradition of success by leading the Cats to NCAA Tournament and National Invitation Tournament berths in the 1980s, passed away in Bozeman on July 17. He was 81.
Born Stuart John Starner in on April 8, 1943 in Hoffman, Minnesota, he played football and basketball the University of Minnesota-Morris before graduating in 1965. After a successful high school coaching career he became a graduate assistant coach for the University of Minnesota men's basketball program in 1978, and a year later became an assistant coach at MSU. In 1981 he returned to Minnesota, and in 1983 became head coach of the Bobcats. His 1986 Cats won the Big Sky Tournament as the sixth seed, and a year later MSU won the Big Sky regular season title. In 1988, the Bobcats advanced to the NIT. He and his 1985-86/86-87 teams were inducted into the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame.
Starner became the head coach at the University of Texas-San Antonio, leading the Roadrunners to regular season league crowns in 1991 and 1992. His Bobcat teams posted a 110-95 record, while his UTSA squads finished 84-58. After finishing his career in 1995 with a 193-153 (.559) career record, he became a successful college athletics fund-raiser and administrator.
Starner was preceded in death by his parents Allen Starner and Mildred Starner, and his daughter Susan Starner Plum. He is survived by his wife Barb, son Tom (Kelly Ann) Starner, daughter Jane (Dave) Hall, grandchildren Gordan Hall, Stuart Hall, Savana Starner, Joey Starner, and Bailey Starner; and by siblings Dick and Joanne Taylor.
A funeral service is scheduled for Monday, July 22, at 11 am at Bozeman's Hope Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial donations in Stu's memory to the Susan Starner Plum Memorial Scholarship Fund at the MSU Foundation (PO Box 172750, Bozeman, MT 59717).
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Born Stuart John Starner in on April 8, 1943 in Hoffman, Minnesota, he played football and basketball the University of Minnesota-Morris before graduating in 1965. After a successful high school coaching career he became a graduate assistant coach for the University of Minnesota men's basketball program in 1978, and a year later became an assistant coach at MSU. In 1981 he returned to Minnesota, and in 1983 became head coach of the Bobcats. His 1986 Cats won the Big Sky Tournament as the sixth seed, and a year later MSU won the Big Sky regular season title. In 1988, the Bobcats advanced to the NIT. He and his 1985-86/86-87 teams were inducted into the Bobcat Athletics Hall of Fame.
Starner became the head coach at the University of Texas-San Antonio, leading the Roadrunners to regular season league crowns in 1991 and 1992. His Bobcat teams posted a 110-95 record, while his UTSA squads finished 84-58. After finishing his career in 1995 with a 193-153 (.559) career record, he became a successful college athletics fund-raiser and administrator.
Starner was preceded in death by his parents Allen Starner and Mildred Starner, and his daughter Susan Starner Plum. He is survived by his wife Barb, son Tom (Kelly Ann) Starner, daughter Jane (Dave) Hall, grandchildren Gordan Hall, Stuart Hall, Savana Starner, Joey Starner, and Bailey Starner; and by siblings Dick and Joanne Taylor.
A funeral service is scheduled for Monday, July 22, at 11 am at Bozeman's Hope Lutheran Church. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes memorial donations in Stu's memory to the Susan Starner Plum Memorial Scholarship Fund at the MSU Foundation (PO Box 172750, Bozeman, MT 59717).
#GoCatsGo
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