Riley once again has the team positioned as one of the top teams in the NBA. ...
Pat Riley attended Linton High School in New York where he was a two-sport.
CAPITOL CITY SPEAKERS BUREAU PAT RILEY No matter the odds, "getting the job done" has never been a problem for a person who has seen winning from all angles. Beginning his tenth season with Miami and his second since stepping down as Head Coach, HEAT President Pat Riley once again has the team positioned as one of the top teams in the NBA. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Riley has made bold, calculated moves which are now paying huge dividends for the HEAT. Pat Riley attended Linton High School in New York where he was a two-sport star in basketball and football. As a tribute to his accomplishments on the court, Linton renamed its gym in Riley’s honor in 1997 and inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2000. After turning down an offer to play college football for Bear Bryant at Alabama, Riley decided to instead play basketball for Adolph Rupp at Kentucky from 1963-67. He was a collegiate star, earning team MVP honors three times and averaging 22.0 ppg on the Wildcats’ famed "Rupp’s Runts" squad. Although he never played college football, he was an 11th round-draft choice of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in 1967 as well as a 1st round pick of the NBA’s San Diego Rockets. As a pro basketball player, Riley had an extensive nine-year career. After three seasons in San Diego, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers and played five years with the team. He was a member of the 1971-72 Lakers that won a then-NBA record 33 consecutive games and the NBA Championship. Riley finished his playing career with the 1976 Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns. After retiring, Riley headed to the television booth where he was Chick Hearn’s partner on Lakers’ broadcasts from 1977-1979. He returned to the bench when Lakers’ Head Coach Paul Westhead asked him to become an assistant early in the 1979-80 campaign, where Riley consequently won the second of his six NBA Championship rings. Westhead was let go after the Lakers went 7-4 to start the 1981-82 season, and Riley was promoted to Head Coach, winning 17 of his next 20 games. Pat collected four more titles for the Lakers as the team’s top man in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1988. His teams advanced to the NBA Finals eight times, the Conference Finals eleven times and were crowned a divisional champion in 16 of his 21 seasons as an NBA head coach. After winning the NBA Coach of the Year Award for 1989-90, Pat stepped down during the off season. After leaving the Lakers, Riley served as co-host of NBA Showtime on NBC in 1990 before joining the New York Knicks in the fall of 1991. Prior to Riley’s arrival the Knicks had posted just four winning seasons in the previous 10 years. During his four-year stint in New York, Riley guided the Knicks to four straight winning seasons and four consecutive playoff berths. The highlight of his career with the Knicks was leading them to the 1994 NBA Finals, New York’s first trip to the Finals since the 1972-73 season. Riley’s teams won three consecutive Atlantic Division titles in his first three years in New York, and his tireless dedication earned him his second NBA Coach of the Year honor in 1993. In 1995, Pat Riley was hired by the Miami HEAT as the team’s president and Head Coach. Upon his arrival, Riley turned the fortunes of the franchise around. Through his tireless work ethic he transformed the Miami HEAT into one of the premier franchises in all of professional sports. During his eight years guiding the HEAT, Riley led Miami to 354 victories, four division titles, six playoff appearances and 18 1620 South Fifth Street • Springfield, IL 62703 • (800) 397-3183 fax: (217) 544-1496 •
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CAPITOL CITY SPEAKERS BUREAU PAT RILEY
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postseason victories. Prior to his arrival the franchise had one winning season, two playoff appearances and two postseason wins in its first seven years. In October of 2003, Riley stepped down from the Head Coach position to focus more on his role as the team President. In another crucial decision for the future of the organization, Riley named his former Assistant Head Coach, Stan Van Gundy to be his successor. Always recognized as one of the league’s best coaches, Riley continues to make his mark in the front office as well. During his tenure leading the HEAT, he has brought stability to the organization while still managing to pull off some of the biggest blockbuster trades in the NBA. Those trades have netted the HEAT All-Stars Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway and Eddie Jones. It’s moves like these that have bolstered Riley’s reputation as being a shrewd judge of talent, helping the HEAT maintain a standard of excellence unparalleled within the NBA. Riley’s resume is filled with many milestones during a 21-year coaching career that is one of the most impressive in all of sports. In 1996-97 as the NBA celebrated its 50th Anniversary, Riley received one of the highest honors bestowed upon an NBA coach when he was named one of the Top 10 Coaches of AllTime by a panel of media who regularly cover the league. Simply put, Riley is a winner. Pat Riley has been involved with numerous charity and community service projects throughout his coaching career. He and his wife, Chris, founded The Miami HEAT Family Outreach in 1997 whose beneficiaries include Jackson Memorial Foundation’s Guardian Angels, the Holtz Center for seriously ill children, and SafeSpace. They are also involved in the Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s Kids for Kids organization, which they started in 1992 in New York, and the YMCA in Los Angeles, New York, and Miami. For over 30 years the Riley’s have been actively involved with Boys and Girls Clubs of America. As a result of his efforts, Riley has received many prestigious awards, including the Miami Project Sports Legend Award in 1992, Boys and Girls Clubs Miami Person of the Year Award in 1998, and was honored by the YMCA Miami in 1998. Riley is not only one of professional basketball’s winningest coaches, but his speeches before hundreds of corporations have earned him the title of "America’s Greatest Motivational Speaker." He has been rated by Success Magazine as "The best in his field." Riley has also completed an award winning 30-minute motivational video entitled "Teamwork" in which he applies his winning philosophies to business and life in general. In addition to being one of the most sought-after motivational speakers in the country, Riley has authored two books, Show Time and The Winner Within which have appeared on the New York Times best sellers list.
1620 South Fifth Street • Springfield, IL 62703 • (800) 397-3183 fax: (217) 544-1496 •
[email protected] • www.speakingofsports.com
