Former Nuggets coach Doug Moe dies at after cancer battle, son says

Former NBA manager Doug Moe died, his lad David said connected Tuesday. He was 87.

David informed aggregate of the coach's friends that his begetter had passed distant aft a lengthy bout with cancer.

Longtime Denver TV property Ron Zappolo besides confirmed the passing to The Associated Press. Moe was an ABA archetypal and gained fame implicit a rumpled, irreverent decennary arsenic manager of the Denver Nuggets successful the 1980s.

In a tribute to Moe posted to societal media, the Nuggets remembered Moe arsenic a "a one-of-a-kind person and idiosyncratic who spearheaded 1 of the astir palmy and breathtaking decades successful Nuggets history."

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FILE - Former Denver Nuggets caput manager Doug Moe pleads with his squad during a timeout successful the closing seconds of a NBA hoops crippled against the Houston Rockets successful May 1986. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski, File)

In 15 seasons arsenic a caput coach, Moe had stints with the San Antonio Spurs and Philadelphia 76ers. He ne'er won a rubric — his astir memorable tally came successful 1985 erstwhile his champion Denver squad fell to the Los Angeles Lakers successful the Western Conference finals. He was the NBA Coach of the Year successful 1988.

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More than for wins and losses, Moe volition beryllium remembered for his question discourtesy and for the arsenic entertaining shows helium enactment connected portion prowling the seat during his coaching days. His Denver teams led the league successful scoring implicit 5 consecutive seasons successful the aboriginal 1980s, and helium seldom ran a acceptable play.

FILE - Retired Denver Nuggets caput manager Doug Moe stands adjacent to his retired fig during the team's 50th day solemnisation earlier the 2nd fractional of an NBA hoops game, Oct. 21, 2017, successful Denver, Colorado.  (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)

The Nuggets bench, on with the 10 rows down it, was nary spot for children, but wrong hours, Moe would beryllium astatine the barroom oregon java store hanging with galore of those aforesaid players he’d excoriated, often himself wondering wherever that foul-mouthed antheral connected the sideline had travel from.

"Sometimes I deliberation I person a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality. I clown astir a batch earlier and aft a game, but erstwhile a crippled starts, my emotions conscionable instrumentality over," Moe said successful a 1983 interrogation with The New York Times.

Denver Nuggets adjunct manager Doug Moe of works without suspended caput manager Goerge Karl successful the archetypal fractional against the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets connected Nov. 30, 2005 astatine the Pepsi Center successful Denver, Colorado. (Brian Bahr/Getty Images)

Years earlier John Elway arrived, Moe was Denver’s biggest sports personality. Zappolo, the sportscaster, said determination was a saccharine teddy carnivore down the game-day bluster.

"I don’t cognize if there’s ever been a much important sports fig successful Denver, not lone due to the fact that of however palmy helium was, but however colorful helium was and however benignant helium was," Zappolo said. "There are a batch of radical walking astir contiguous who consciousness similar they were Doug’s champion friend."

Moe insisted helium ne'er wanted a caput coaching occupation — didn’t privation to enactment that hard — but Larry Brown coaxed him into taking a occupation successful San Antonio. With the assistance of George Gervin, Moe won the part doubly and made 1 league last successful 4 seasons with the Spurs.

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Moe finished his caput coaching vocation with an unsuccessful stint successful Philadelphia that lasted little than a play earlier returning to Denver successful supporting roles, including a instrumentality to the seat arsenic George Karl’s assistant.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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