Boyd Grant, winningest head basketball coach in Fresno State history, dies at 87, sources say
Boyd Grant is the winningest coach in program history guiding the Bulldogs to 194 wins.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Former Fresno State men's basketball coach Boyd Grant has passed away on his 87th birthday, sources tell Action News.
Grant is the winningest coach in program history guiding the Bulldogs to 194 wins. He was hired in 1977 to replace Ed Gregory after leading College of Southern Idaho to the NJCAA national championship (1976).
The team went 7-20 before he arrived but Grant would lead the 'Dogs to unprecedented success in the history of the program. Over nine seasons he led Fresno State to three Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) titles, three NCAA Tournament appearances (1981, 1982, 1984) and the school's only appearance in the Sweet Sixteen where they lost to top seeded Georgetown in '82.
The following year Fresno State went on to win the National Invitation Tournament with a 69-60 win over DePaul at Madison Square Garden.
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Selland Arena, Fresno State's home at the time, would become known as "Grant's Tomb" because of the tough playing environment that nearly 10,000 fans contributed to in every home game.
Grant was a three time PCAA coach of the year in 1978, 1981 and 1982.
He resigned from his position in 1986 and was replaced by Ron Adams before coaching at Colorado State, his alma mater for another five year. When he retired in 1991 he had compiled an overall coaching record of 275-120.
