Suns legend Cotton Fitzsimmons dies at 72

An hour before tipoff of a playoff elimination game in Portland years ago, you might have expected Suns coach Cotton Fitzsimmons to be pacing the hallways of Memorial Coliseum, trying to figure out if he'd left anything out of his game plan.

Instead, the veteran coach was visiting with an elderly security guard, one of the hundreds of people he'd befriended over decades on the NBA trail.

Fitzsimmons died Saturday at the age of 72, a victim of lung cancer. He will be remembered as the Suns' ambassador of good will as well as a successful coach.

"The entire Phoenix Suns family is deeply saddened by Cotton's passing," said Suns Chairman and CEO Jerry Colangelo. "Cotton Fitzsimmons embodied all things that are great about life and the game of basketball. His energy, passion, and upbeat approach to everything impacted those that he touched in a positive and meaningful way.''

Fitzsimmons coached the Suns on three different occasions: from 1970-72; '88-92; and again for parts of two seasons in '96. He also coached the Atlanta Hawks, Kansas City Kings, Buffalo Braves and San Antonio Spurs.

Overall, he compiled a record of 832-775. He was sixth on the NBA's all-time win list at the time of his retirement.

He also worked in the Suns' front office in the late '80s. During this time, in the spring of '88, he worked the trade that brought the club a promising young point guard named Kevin Johnson. That deal helped improve the Suns from 27 wins to 55 wins, one of the greatest turn-arounds ever in the NBA. As a coach, he was known less as a master strategist than a motivator and fixer of teams that had broken down. He applied a lighter touch on veteran players who knew the game's ropes than young players who were feeling their way along.

Fitzsimmons tried to adopt a sunny view in whatever situation he found himself. His signature phrase, even when things looked grim for his team was, "We'll be fine."

He also was a master salesman of the NBA, someone who knew how to swap stories with reporters and turn on the charm for the TV cameras. He continued to work as a Suns' broadcaster after his coaching days, a job that helped him retain his popularity with fans.

He also continued to consult with Suns head coaches, offering advice as well as jokes.

Throughout his tenure with the Suns he had a handshake agreement with Colangelo.

In recent years, he had the title of senior executive vice president, though he'd joke that he was the "vice president of nothing." And yet, he still played a role on occasion in the Suns' moves. In a late season-game in the spring of 2000, for example, Fitzsimmons stepped into an oversized storage closest to consult with Jerry Colangelo and Bryan Colangelo to discuss a top-secret possible move.

Superstar guard Jason Kidd has just suffered a serious ankle injury just before the Suns were about to start a playoff run. The Colangelos quizzed Fitzsimmons about the possibility of bringing Johnson, with whom Fitzsimmons had developed a solid relationship, out of retirement.

In the end, KJ "un-retired", a key move in the Suns' de-throning the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. This stands as the Suns' last playoff-series win.

Fitzsimmons was known as the second-most famous native of Hannibal, Mo. (the great writer, Samuel Clemens, also known Mark Twain, was born there).

Fitzsimmons began his coaching career at Moberly (Mo.) Junior College, where he won two national titles. He moved to Kansas State as an assistant to Tex Winter, whom he succeeded as head coach in 1968.

He was named the Big Eight coach of the year. When the Suns job opened up that year, Jerry Colangelo — after talking with a number of candidates, including a young coach named Bobby Knight — hired him for the job.

He is survived by his wife JoAnn and his son Gary, himself a longtime staff member of NBA clubs. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory be made to Cotton's Memorial c/o Phoenix Suns Charities, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85004.

A mass will be held at St. Timothy Catholic Community at 1730 W. Guadalupe in Mesa, at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, July 26. The burial will be private.