EUGENE, Ore., March 13 (UPI) -- Dick Harter, a former NBA and University of Oregon men's basketball coach, died Monday at his home in Hilton Head, S.C., the university said. He was 81.
The university did not provide a cause of death.
Harter became the first head coach of the expansion Charlotte Hornets in 1988 and held the job two years. He also served as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
Before moving on to the NBA, Harter coached the Oregon team from 1971-78 and had an overall record of 113-81.
He attracted some of the best players in the team's history, including Ron Lee and Greg Ballard, and had six straight winning season and three straight trips to the National Invitation Tournament 1974-1977.
Harter, a Pottstown, Pa., native and graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, had served as head coach at Penn State before coming to Oregon.
He was inducted into the University of Oregon Hall of Fame in 2001 and was also a member of the Big Five Hall of Fame in Philadelphia and the State of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame's Pottstown Chapter.
