Bill Krueger & Frank Orlando Honored as Outstanding High School Basketball Coaches
Springfield, Mass. – The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the winners of the 2019 Morgan Wootten Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball. This prestigious award is named after Morgan Wootten, who served as the Head Coach of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsvile, Maryland for 46 years and is one of four high school coaches enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame. The annual award recognizes two outstanding high school coaches, one for boys’ basketball and one for girls’ basketball.
“The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to annually recognize high school coaches who have used their platforms to improve the lives of their student-athletes,” said John L. Doleva, President and CEO of the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Morgan Wootten was an outstanding high school coach and community leader, and the two coaches we recognize today have proven similar dedication in their nearly 40-year head coaching careers.”
The 2019 winner of the Morgan Wootten Award for boys’ basketball is Bill Krueger from Clear Lake High School (Houston, TX). During Krueger's 39-year head coaching career, he compiled over 1,000 wins and a winning percentage of 81.4%. He retired in 1996 as the "Winningest High School Basketball Coach in the Nation." His teams accumulated 30 or more wins in 18 seasons and never had a losing season. Krueger guided 3 different Texas public high schools to the state basketball tournament, winning state championships in 1965 and 1989 and 29 district championships. For his tremendous work with youth, Krueger has been honored by the city of Houston with a park (Krueger Park), a street (Krueger Way), and a 2,800-seat field house at Clear Lake High School (Bill Krueger Field House). He has received numerous honors and awards, including induction into the National High School Sports Hall of Fame, the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame and the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. Krueger still resides in Houston and enjoys spending time at his ranch in central Texas, playing golf, communicating with his former players and associates, and spending quality time with his wife, Martha of 58 years, his two daughters, sons-in-laws, and four grandchildren.
The 2019 winner of the Morgan Wootten Award for girls’ basketball is Frank Orlando from Detroit Country Day School (Beverly Hills, Michigan). For 38 years, Orlando has coached at Detroit Country Day School, accumulating a Michigan state record 13 state championships. In all, his teams have garnered 18 appearances in the state finals, 30 district championships, and 24 regional championships. Orlando been honored as the Michigan State Coach of the Year 5 times, National Coach of the Year in 2003, and Max Preps National Coach of the Year in 2018. He was inducted into the Michigan Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996. In addition to coaching basketball, he also coached baseball, where he won the 1995 state championship and was inducted into the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. A true legend in the game, he is most proud of his family, which consists of his spouse of 52 years - Yvette, two daughters Kristen and Danielle (who both played basketball for him), his two sons-in-law Peter and Greg, and 12 beautiful grandchildren.
“Bill Kruger and Frank Orlando are truly deserving of this award, after dedicating nearly four decades to the game and future generations,” said Morgan Wootten, the award’s namesake and five-time High School National Champion. “While victories are important, there is a greater value placed on the impact coaches make on players that carry on to their future endeavors and I applaud them for their efforts.”
The Morgan Wootten Award winners were selected by a nationally based committee comprised of Hall of Famers, national high school media members, tournament directors and others who have significantly impacted the game. The 2019 Morgan Wootten Awards for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching High School Basketball will be presented at the Basketball Hall of Fame Luncheon on March 27 at the Hilton Atlanta.
Previous boys’ basketball award winners include Gene Pingatore (St. Joseph’s High School, Westchester, Illinois), William “Speedy” Morris (St. Joseph’s Prep, Philadelphia, PA), Bob Dwyer (Archbishop Carroll High School, Washington, DC), Harvey Reid (Ralph L. Fike High School, NC), Gary McKnight (Mater Dei, CA), Vito Montelli (St. Joseph High School, CT), Jack Curran (Archbishop Molloy, NY), Joe Gallagher (St. John’s College, DC), Ralph Tasker (Hobbs High School, NM), Robert Hughes (Fort Worth Dunbar, TX) and Bob Hurley, Sr. (St. Anthony’s, NJ).
Previous winners of the girls’ basketball award include John Hutchcraft (Guy-Perkins High School, Guy, Arkansas), Marcia Pinder (Dillard High School, Fort Lauderdale, FL), Dr. Anthony Pappas (Waterloo West High School, IA), Joe Lombard (Canyon High School, TX), Thednall Hill (Hardy Highland, AR), Sandra Meadows (Duncanville High School, TX), Leta Andrews (Granbury High School, TX), Jim Smiddy (Bradley Central, TN), Dorothy Gaters (Chicago Marshall, IL), Rick Insell (Shelbyville, TN) and Gene Klinge (West Central of Maynard, IA).
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame:
Located in Springfield, Massachusetts, the city where basketball was born, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and celebrating the game of basketball at every level – men and women, amateur and professional players, coaches and contributors, both domestically and internationally. The Hall of Fame museum is home to more than 400 inductees and over 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Nearly 200,000 people visit the Hall of Fame museum each year to learn about the game, experience the interactive exhibits and test their skills on the Jerry Colangelo "Court of Dreams." Best known for its annual marquee Enshrinement Ceremony honoring the game’s elite, the Hall of Fame also operates over 70 high school and collegiate competitions annually throughout the country and abroad. For more information on the Basketball Hall of Fame organization, its museum and events, visit www.hoophall.com, follow @hoophall #WoottenAward or call 1-877-4HOOPLA.