George Wigton

George Wigton
Biographical details
Born(1929-02-20)February 20, 1929
Oberlin, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMarch 1, 2022(2022-03-01) (aged 93)
Auburn, Maine, U.S.
Playing career
1954–1955Ohio State
PositionForward
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Men's basketball
1961–1963UConn (assistant)
1963UConn (interim HC)
1963–1964UConn (assistant)
1964–1965Staples HS (CT)
1965–1982Bates
1983–1986Bates
Men's soccer
1965–1972Bates
Men's tennis
1973–1982Bates
1983–1989Bates
1990–1996Bates
Women's tennis
1981–1982Bates
1985–1992Bates
Men's squash
1986–1989Bates
1990–1996Bates
Women's squash
1986–1989Bates
Head coaching record
Overall186–279 (men's basketball)
171–77 (men's tennis)[1]
92–98 (men's squash)[2]
45–40–11 (men's soccer)[3]
42–42 (women's tennis)[4]
13–31 (women's squash)[5]
Tournaments0–1 (Men's basketball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1x NESCA men's tennis champion (1988)

George Lindbergh Wigton (February 20, 1929 – March 1, 2022) was an American basketball coach who was the interim head basketball coach of the UConn Huskies men's basketball team in 1963 and head coach of the Bates Bobcats men's basketball team from 1965 to 1982.

Early life

Wigton was born in Oberlin, Ohio, to Charles E. and Elizabeth (Lowry) Wigton on February 20, 1929.[6] He was an all-Southwestern Conference player in basketball, football and track. After high school, he served in the United States Navy and helped lead Naval Station Norfolk to an All-Navy championship.[7] On December 21, 1952, he married Eleanor Mahan. They had four children.[6]

Wigton attended Ohio State University and played for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team.[8] He was a member of the varsity squad during the 1954–55 season and scored 27 points in 28 games.[9] He graduated in 1956 with a Bachelor of Science degree.[6]

Coaching

UConn

In 1956, Wigton joined the faculty at the University of Connecticut as an associate professor of physical education and athletic coach.[6] In 1962, he became the lead assistant coach of the varsity men's basketball team and the head freshman football coach following the departure of Nick Rodis.[10] He became acting men's basketball coach following Hugh Greer's unexpected death on January 14, 1963.[11] He led the team to an 11–4 record and an appearance in the 1963 NCAA University Division basketball tournament.[12] Wigton was considered for the head coaching job, but Duke assistant Fred Shabel was chosen instead. Wigton remained with the team as an assistant.[13] He left the following year to become the head basketball and assistant football coach at Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut.[14]

Bates

In 1965, Wigton became the men's basketball coach at Bates College. He was the school's longest-tenured basketball coach, compiling a 175–275 record from 1965 to 1986.[15] He was also the men's tennis coach for 26 years, making him Bates' longest-tenured coach in that sport as well. He led the Bobcats to a New England Small College Athletic Conference men's tennis championship in 1988. Additionally, he coached men's soccer from 1965 to 1972, women's tennis for eight years, and was the varsity men's squash coach from the program's founding in 1986 until his retirement in 1996. He coached four All-Americans in three sports (Rob Thompson in soccer, Paul Gastonguay and Bud Schultz in tennis, and Herb Taylor in basketball).[8]

Later life

Wigton remained in Auburn, Maine following his retirement. In 2002, the George L. Wigton Scholar Fund was created in recognition of his tenure at Bates.[16] Wigton died on March 1, 2022.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Men's Tennis Team Record Year by Year". Bates Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  2. ↑ "Men's Squash Team Record Year by Year". Bates Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Men's Soccer Team Record Year by Year". Bates Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Women's Tennis Team Record Year by Year". Bates Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Women's Squash Team Record Year by Year". Bates Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Who's Who in American Education 1992-1993. Natl Reference Inst Pubns. p. 939. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  7. ↑ "George L. Wigton". Bates Athletics. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Burns, Jay (March 4, 2022). "George L. Wigton, legendary and influential Bates coach of 'impeccable integrity and perspective,' dies at age 93". Bates. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  9. ↑ Ohio State Men's Basketball 2012-13 Media Guide. p. 174. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Nick Rodis Resigns". The Day. August 4, 1962. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  11. ↑ "Wighton To Keep Greet Style". Meriden Journal. January 24, 1964. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  12. ↑ "George Wigton". SRCBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Former Hoop Ace New UConn Coach". Meriden Journal. April 2, 1963. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  14. ↑ "Wigton Named Coach At Staples". The Day. April 7, 1964. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  15. ↑ Grard, Larry (July 2, 1986). "Alden succeeds Wigton at Bates". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Bates establishes George L. Wigton Scholar Fund". Bates. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.