Charlie Spoonhour, former head basketball coach shown in this March 1, 2007 file photo. UPI/Bill Greenblatt
Former Missouri State and Saint Louis University head basketball coach Charlie Spoonhour died this morning at his home from complications related to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 72.
Spoonhour received an education degree from the University of the Ozarks and spent seven seasons as a high school basketball coach, before moving onto the college ranks .
Spoonhour was hired as the head coach of Missouri State for the 1983-84 season. He led the Bears to five NCAA Tournament appearances in a six-season stretch from 1987 to 1992. His best season was in 1986-87 when the Bears won the Mid-Continent Conference with a 13-1 mark and finished 28-6.
After the 1991-92 season, he went to Saint Louis University, where he led the Billikens to three NCAA tournament appearances in seven seasons. In 2001, he went to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he retired from coaching following the 2003-04 season.
