Al Bianchi, who spent 23 years as a Suns assistant coach and scout passed away today at age 87. Prior to coming to the Suns, Bianchi played at Bowling Green in college and for the NBA's Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers from 1956-1966 as a guard. After a season as an assistant coach for John Kerr with the Chicago Bulls, he coached the Seattle SuperSonics from 1967-69, and for the ABA's Washington Capitols/Virginia Squires from 1969-75. He was then hired as John MacLeod's assistant coach in 1975 and remained here until 1987, when he took the General Manager position for the New York Knicks (where he remained from 1987-91). He later returned to the Suns as a scout and served as an assistant coach for one more season in 2001-02.
Al was a competitor and had a fiery temper to say the least. He was the "bad cop" to MacLeod's "good cop" and could frequently be seen yelling at officials and occasionally throwing his clipboard in disgust. Along with Jerry Colangelo, MacLeod, Al McCoy, Joe Proski, Paul Westphal, Alvan Adams, Dick Van Arsdale, Ron Lee, Gar Heard and Walter Davis, he was a big part of the whole experience for Suns fans in the late 70's when I became a fan.
And as Al so eloquently put it after the 1976 Finals when looking back at a Richie Powers no-call that cost them a chance to shoot a technical free throw that could have won Game 5 - "Fuck You Richie Powers!"
R.I.P. Al!
R.I.P. Al Bianchi
-
The Bobster
- Posts: 7421
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:04 pm
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
R.I.P. Al Bianchi
Author of The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts
Available from Scarecrow Press at - https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810890695
Available from Scarecrow Press at - https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810890695
Re: R.I.P. Al Bianchi
Nice write up, Bobster. You and I have similar childhood memories.
Synchronicity and all that jazz, man.
"Cool is getting us blown out!"
-Shaheen Holloway
"Cool is getting us blown out!"
-Shaheen Holloway
-
The Bobster
- Posts: 7421
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:04 pm
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
Re: R.I.P. Al Bianchi
We've lost some of the guys who made the Suns great - Bianchi, MacLeod, Connie Hawkins, Cotton Fitzsimmons, Neal Walk, Dennis Johnson, Maurice Lucas, Wayman Tisdale. Lots of great memories there.
Author of The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts
Available from Scarecrow Press at - https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810890695
Available from Scarecrow Press at - https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810890695
Re: R.I.P. Al Bianchi
Was he "Big Al"?
"There are 3 rules I live by: never get less than 12 hours sleep, never play cards with a guy with the same first name as a city & never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body. Everything else is cream cheese."
-
The Bobster
- Posts: 7421
- Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 1:04 pm
- Location: Phoenix, AZ
Re: R.I.P. Al Bianchi
"Blinky"
There must be a story there.....
Author of The Basketball Draft Fact Book: A History of Professional Basketball's College Drafts
Available from Scarecrow Press at - https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810890695
Available from Scarecrow Press at - https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780810890695
-
LazarusLong
- Posts: 3252
- Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2014 6:58 pm
Re: R.I.P. Al Bianchi
Bianchi’s street-smart chutzpah was the perfect complement to MacLeod’s dapper, Xs-and-Os controlled mien.
“Along with Jerry Colangelo, MacLeod, Al McCoy, Joe Proski, Paul Westphal, Alvan Adams, Dick Van Arsdale, Ron Lee, Gar Heard and Walter Davis, he was a big part of the whole experience for Suns fans in the late 70's …”
Well said.
“Along with Jerry Colangelo, MacLeod, Al McCoy, Joe Proski, Paul Westphal, Alvan Adams, Dick Van Arsdale, Ron Lee, Gar Heard and Walter Davis, he was a big part of the whole experience for Suns fans in the late 70's …”
Well said.
Well, so much for hopes and dreams ...