View source for Dick Motta

{{Short description|American former basketball coach (born 1931)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name        = Dick Motta
| image       = Dick Motta 1971.JPG
| image_size  = 220
| caption     = Motta in 1971
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lb = 170
| birth_date  = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1931|9|3}}
| birth_place = [[Midvale, Utah]], U.S.
| high_school = [[Jordan High School (Sandy, Utah)|Jordan]] ([[Sandy, Utah]])
| college = [[Utah State University|Utah State]]<!--did not play, do not add dates of attendance-->
| coach_start = 1968
| coach_end = 1997
| cyears1 = 1960–1968
| cteam1 = [[Weber State Wildcats men's basketball|Weber State]]
| cyears2 = {{nbay|1968|start}}–{{nbay|1975|end}}
| cteam2 = [[Chicago Bulls]]
| cyears3 = {{nbay|1976|start}}–{{nbay|1979|end}}
| cteam3 = [[Washington Bullets]]
| cyears4 = {{nbay|1980|start}}–{{nbay|1986|end}}
| cteam4 = [[Dallas Mavericks]]
| cyears5 = {{nbay|1989|end}}–{{nbay|1991|start}}
| cteam5 = [[Sacramento Kings]]
| cyears6 = {{nbay|1994|start}}–{{nbay|1995|end}}
| cteam6 = Dallas Mavericks
| cyears7 = {{nbay|1996|full=y}}
| cteam7 = [[Denver Nuggets]]
| highlights = 
* [[List of NBA champions|NBA champion]] ([[1978 NBA Finals|1978]])
* [[NBA Coach of the Year Award|NBA Coach of the Year]] ({{nbay|1970|end}})
* [[List of NBA All-Star Game head coaches|NBA All-Star Game head coach]] ([[1979 NBA All-Star Game|1979]])
* [[Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award]] (2015)
* [[Big Sky Conference|Big Sky]] Coach of the Year (1965)
* 3× Big Sky champion (1965, 1966, 1968)
| cstats_league1  = NBA
| cwin1           = 935
| closs1          = 1017
}}

'''John Richard Motta''' (born September 3, 1931) is an American former [[basketball]] coach whose career in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) spanned 25 years. Motta coached the [[Washington Wizards|Washington Bullets]] to the [[1978 NBA Finals|1978 NBA Championship]], and he won the 1971 [[NBA Coach of the Year Award]] with the [[Chicago Bulls]]. Motta is eighth all-time with 1,952 games as coach, while ranking 13th in wins and fourth in losses; he has the most wins of eligible coaches not currently inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.basketball-reference.com/coaches/NBA_stats.html| title = NBA Coach Register {{!}} Basketball-Reference.com}}</ref> In 25 seasons as a coach, he reached the postseason fourteen times.

Known as a strict disciplinarian with high expectations for his players, Motta developed a reputation for putting together well-conditioned, tough, physical teams. He was known for his eccentric personality and fiery temper, which included infamously throwing his jacket at a referee, kicking a basketball into the stands and throwing a dollar bill onto the court and demanding it to play after a GM traded one of his players for cash considerations. He retired from coaching in 1997 and ran a [[bed and breakfast]] with his wife in [[Bear Lake (Idaho–Utah)|Bear Lake]], [[Idaho]].

==Early life==
John Richard Motta was born on September 3, 1931, in [[Midvale, Utah]]. He attended [[Jordan High School (Sandy, Utah)|Jordan High School]] in [[Sandy, Utah]], where he excelled in [[basketball]].

==College career==
Motta attended [[Utah State University]] in [[Logan, Utah]].

==Coaching career==
Motta started coaching at [[Grace High School]] in [[Grace, Idaho]], where he taught seventh grade and coached for two years before being drafted in the armed services, then returned.<ref name=bwlbmih>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1971/10/25/613505/beware-little-big-man-is-here |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=Deford |first=Frank |author-link=Frank Deford |title=Beware, Little Big Man is here |date=October 25, 1971 |page=46}}</ref> He once said in an interview that winning the state championship [[Idaho High School Activities Association#Classification|(AA)]] at Grace in 1959 was his greatest thrill as a coach, even topping the [[1978 NBA Finals|NBA championship]] he won two decades later.

===Weber State (1960–1968)===
From 1960 to 1968, Motta was the head basketball coach at [[Weber State Wildcats men's basketball|Weber State University]] in [[Ogden, Utah]]. Under the direction of Motta and assistant coach [[Phil Johnson (basketball, born 1941)|Phil Johnson]], Weber State won three [[Big Sky Conference#Big Sky championships|Big Sky Conference championships]] (1965, 1966, 1968).

===Chicago Bulls (1968–1976)===
Motta was hired as head coach of the [[Chicago Bulls]] in 1968 after a six-year stint at Weber State. He replaced [[Johnny Kerr]], who had led the team to two playoff appearances despite subpar records of 33-48 and 29–53, respectively. Motta coached the team for eight seasons, coaching 656 games.  From 1970 to 1974 he led the Bulls to four consecutive 50-win seasons, winning the [[NBA Coach of the Year Award]] in 1971. It did not translate to playoff success, as the Bulls won just one playoff series (1974) in that span. However, they advanced to the Western Conference Finals in the 1974–75 season, beating the [[Sacramento Kings|Kansas City Kings]] to play the [[Golden State Warriors]], which they lost in seven games. The team went an NBA-worst 24&ndash;58 in [[1975&ndash;76 Chicago Bulls season|1975&ndash;76]].<ref name="sgnyt760529sa">[https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/29/archives/motta-to-coach-bullets-76ers-sold-motta-hired-by-bullets-76ers-sold.html Goldaper, Sam. "Motta to Coach Bullets," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, May 29, 1976.] Retrieved December 4, 2020</ref> He was eventually replaced by [[Ed Badger]] on August 25, 1976.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/26/archives/badger-aide-under-motta-is-named-coach-of-bulls.html "Badger, Aide Under Motta, Is Named Coach of Bulls," ''The Associated Press'' (AP), Wednesday, August 25, 1976.] Retrieved December 4, 2020</ref>

===Washington Bullets (1976–1980)===
Motta had two years left on his contract with the Bulls who allowed him to negotiate with the [[Washington Bullets]]. He left the Bulls to succeed [[K. C. Jones]] in a similar capacity with the Bullets on May 28, 1976.<ref name="sgnyt760529sa"/> In his first season, the Bullets went 48-34 while advancing to the Semifinals again after beating the Cavaliers in the First Round, although they lost to the [[Houston Rockets]] in six games. The next year was the pinnacle for the team and Motta's career. They went 44–38, but they advanced all the way to the [[1978 NBA Finals]], where they beat the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] in seven games to win the NBA championship. The following year, the team went 54-28 while winning the Atlantic Division. This was not only their sixth division title in eight years, it was also their last division title until 2017. The Bullets went to the [[1979 NBA Finals]], although they had to fight the full seven games in both the Semifinals and the conference finals, as they nearly blew a 3–1 series lead to the [[Atlanta Hawks]] in the Semifinals and having to come back from a 3–1 series deficit from the [[San Antonio Spurs]] in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the Finals that year, they played the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] once again. The Bullets won Game 1 at home 99–97, but the SuperSonics won the following four games to win the NBA championship. It is the last time the team has reached the NBA Finals. The following year, the Bullets went 39–43, although they qualified for a playoff berth. They were beaten by the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] in two games. He resigned as head coach on May 27, 1980, despite having one year left on his contract. He had an agreement to honor that remaining year by joining the Bullets front office as a special consultant to general manager [[Bob Ferry]] if he didn't get any head coaching appointments from other teams. He was succeeded by [[Gene Shue]].<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1980/05/28/bullets-hire-shue-to-replace-motta/a1bff387-5e8a-430b-add7-08b18abae480/ DuPree, David. "Bullets Hire Shue to Replace Motta," ''The Washington Post'', Wednesday, May 28, 1980.] Retrieved December 4, 2020</ref>

==="The opera isn't over 'til the fat lady sings!"===
Motta is sometimes erroneously credited with coining the celebrated phrase: ''[[It ain't over 'til the fat lady sings|The opera ain't over 'til the fat lady sings.]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_243b.html |title=The Straight Dope: What's the origin of "the opera ain't over till the fat lady sings?" |website=www.straightdope.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991117122328/http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_243b.html |archive-date=1999-11-17}}</ref> In fact, the first recorded use of the phrase was by [[Texas Tech University|Texas Tech]] sports information director Ralph Carpenter, as reported in the ''[[Dallas Morning News]]'' on 10 March 1976.<ref name="SBNation">{{cite web | url=https://www.sbnation.com/2010/3/9/1085904/today-in-sports-history-march-10th | title=Today in Sports History: March 10th | publisher=[[Vox Media, Inc.]] | work=SBNation | date=March 9, 2010 | access-date=January 30, 2015 | author=Pincus, David}}</ref>

During a [[KENS-TV]] broadcast of the 1978 [[Eastern Conference (NBA)|NBA Eastern Conference]] semi-finals between the [[Washington Bullets]] and the [[San Antonio Spurs]], KENS Sports anchor [[Dan Cook]] used the phrase in an attempt to encourage Spurs fans, as their team was down three games to one against the Bullets. Motta heard the broadcast and adopted his own rendition of the expression &mdash; "The '[[opera]]' isn't over 'til the fat lady sings" &mdash; to warn Bullets fans against [[Confidence|braggadocio]].

The odds were against the [[Underdog (competition)|underdog]] Bullets, and sportswriters were forecasting a grim finale, so Motta rebounded with the upbeat [[ostinato]], "Wait for the fat lady!"  The Bullets won the Eastern Conference against the [[Atlantic Division (NBA)|Atlantic Division]] Champion [[Philadelphia 76ers]], and went on to beat the [[Western Conference (NBA)|Western Conference]] Champion [[Seattle SuperSonics]] four games to three for the 1978 NBA title.

The victory gave Washington, D.C. fans their first professional championship team in any sport since the [[Washington Redskins]] won the [[NFL]] title in 1942.  (In Motta's second year as coach, the Bullets had become only the third team to win the NBA championship in a seventh game on the road).  That 1978 championship remains the franchise's only NBA championship.

After the climactic Game 7 victory to claim the title, Motta celebrated with his team wearing a beer-soaked ''The Opera Isn't Over 'Til The Fat Lady Sings'' T-shirt.

<blockquote>What made the championship so great was that we weren’t supposed to win it. We came a long way. Most people didn’t give us a chance, but I felt all along we could. I really did.

&mdash; Dick Motta [http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/When_Washington_Went_to_the_Opera.html]</blockquote>

In a Nov. 5, 2003 interview in the Utah Statesman, the student newspaper of his alma mater [[Utah State University]], Motta said opera lovers were angry with him at first. "My wife said they were going to kill me when I said that." But that as time passed, Motta said, he was extended friendly invitations to a variety of events with "operatic" themes ranging from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

===Dallas Mavericks (1980–1987)===
Motta was the first head coach of the [[Dallas Mavericks]], hired by the team on July 16, 1980. His first team went 15–67, dead last in the league. They did not lose as many games again until 1992 when they lost 60 games. Motta's Mavericks gradually rose up in prominence, rising in finishes in the Midwest Division from 6th in the first season to 4th by the third year. His fourth season ([[1983-84 Dallas Mavericks season|1983-84]]) was the start of something big for the team, as they went 43-39 while qualifying for the playoffs for the first time. They defeated the [[Seattle SuperSonics]] in the First Round to advance to the Semifinals, where they lost to the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] in five games. The following year, the Mavs went to the playoffs once again after a 44–38 season, although they lost to the [[Portland Trail Blazers]] in the First Round. They went to the Semifinals the following year after a 44-38 year and defeating the [[Utah Jazz]] in the First Round, although it ended with another loss to the Lakers. The [[1986-87 Dallas Mavericks season|next season]] was Motta's last, and it was his best with the team as they went 55-27 and finished 2nd in the Western Conference, winning their first Midwest Division title (the Mavericks did not win a division title again for twenty seasons). However, they lost to the SuperSonics in the First Round in four games. Motta resigned on May 20.

===Sacramento Kings (1990–91)===
On January 4, 1990, Motta was hired by the [[Sacramento Kings]] in the middle of the season, replacing [[Jerry Reynolds (basketball, born 1944)|Jerry Reynolds]], who had led the team to a 7–21 record. Motta coached the Kings to a 16–38 record, finishing with a 23–59. The next season, the Kings went 25-57 while finishing dead last in the Pacific Division. After a 7–18 start, Motta was fired on Christmas Eve in 1991.

During his tenure as coach, the Kings went 8–76 in road games, including 43 straight losses on the road.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1743376215304724932|user=SecretBase|title=Dorktown: Sacramento Kings!|date=January 5, 2024}}</ref>

===Dallas Mavericks (1994–1996)===
On May 17, 1994, Dallas hired Motta back as coach of the team, replacing [[Quinn Buckner]], who went 13–69. Motta led the team to a 23-game improvement with a 36–46 record. His second and final season was less successful as they went 26–56. He was reassigned from his head coach role on May 1, 1996.

===Denver Nuggets (1996–97)===
The [[Denver Nuggets]] hired Motta on November 26, 1996, replacing [[Bernie Bickerstaff]], who had gotten off to a 4–9 start. The Nuggets went into a tailspin, going 17-52 while losing 26 of their final 30 games to finish 21-61 and 12th in the Western Conference. Motta was fired on April 21, 1997.

==Head coaching record==
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-
| align="left" |[[1968–69 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1968}}
|82||33||49||.402|| align="center" |5th in West||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|- 
| align="left" |[[1969–70 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1969}}
|82||39||43||.476|| align="center" |3rd in West||5||1||4||.200
| align="center" |Lost in [[1970 NBA Playoffs|Division semifinals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1970–71 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1970}}
|82||51||31||.622|| align="center" |2nd in Midwest||7||3||4||.429
| align="center" |Lost in [[1971 NBA Playoffs|Conf. Semifinals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1971–72 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1971}}
|82||57||25||.695|| align="center" |2nd in Midwest||4||0||4||.000
| align="center" |Lost in [[1972 NBA Playoffs|Conf. Semifinals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1972–73 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1972}}
|82||51||31||.622|| align="center" |2nd in Midwest||7||3||4||.429
| align="center" |Lost in [[1973 NBA Playoffs|Conf. Semifinals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1973–74 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1973}}
|82||54||28||.659|| align="center" |2nd in Midwest||11||4||7||.364
| align="center" |Lost in [[1974 NBA Playoffs|Conf. Finals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1974–75 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1974}}
|82||47||35||.573|| align="center" |1st in Midwest||13||7||6||.538
| align="center" |Lost in [[1975 NBA Playoffs|Conf. Finals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1975–76 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1975}}
|82||24||58||.293|| align="center" |4th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |[[1976–77 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1976}}
|82||48||34||.585|| align="center" |2nd in Central||9||4||5||.444
| align="center" |Lost in [[1977 NBA Playoffs|Conf. Semifinals]]
|- ! style="background:#FDE910;"
| align="left" |[[1977–78 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1977}}
|82||44||38||.537|| align="center" |2nd in Central||21||14||7||.667
| align="center" |'''Won [[1978 NBA Finals|NBA Championship]]'''
|-
| align="left" |[[1978–79 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1978}}
|82||54||28||.659|| align="center" |1st in Atlantic||19||9||10||.474
| align="center" |Lost in [[1979 NBA Finals|NBA Finals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1979–80 Washington Bullets season|Washington]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1979}}
|82||39||43||.476|| align="center" |3rd in Atlantic||2||0||2||.000
| align="center" |Lost in [[1980 NBA Playoffs|First round]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1980–81 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1980}}
|82||15||67||.183|| align="center" |6th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |[[1981–82 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1981}}
|82||28||54||.341|| align="center" |5th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |[[1982–83 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1982}}
|82||38||44||.463|| align="center" |4th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |[[1983–84 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1983}}
|82||43||39||.524|| align="center" |2nd in Midwest||10||4||6||.400
| align="center" |Lost in [[1984 NBA Playoffs|Conf. Semifinals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1984–85 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1984}}
|82||44||38||.537|| align="center" |3rd in Midwest||4||1||3||.250
| align="center" |Lost in [[1985 NBA Playoffs|First round]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1985–86 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1985}}
|82||44||38||.537|| align="center" |3rd in Midwest||10||5||5||.500
| align="center" |Lost in [[1986 NBA Playoffs|Conf. Semifinals]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1986–87 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1986}}
|82||55||27||.671|| align="center" |1st in Midwest||4||1||3||.250
| align="center" |Lost in [[1987 NBA Playoffs|First round]]
|-
| align="left" |[[1989–90 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1989}}
|54||16||38||.296|| align="center" |7th in Pacific||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |[[1990–91 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1990}}
|82||25||57||.305|| align="center" |7th in Pacific||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |[[1991–92 Sacramento Kings season|Sacramento]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1991}}
|25||7||18||.280|| align="center" |(fired)||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |—
|-
| align="left" |[[1994–95 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1994}}
|82||36||46||.439|| align="center" |5th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |[[1995–96 Dallas Mavericks season|Dallas]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1995}}
|82||26||56||.317|| align="center" |5th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-
| align="left" |[[1996–97 Denver Nuggets season|Denver]]
| align="left" |{{nbay|1996}}
|69||17||52||.246|| align="center" |5th in Midwest||—||—||—||—
| align="center" |Missed Playoffs
|-class="sortbottom"
| align="left" |'''Career'''
| ||1,952||935||1,017||.479|| ||126||56||70||.444
{{S-end}}

==Personal life==
After being fired by the [[Denver Nuggets]], Motta retired from coaching. He returned to his native [[Utah]], where he and his wife Jan opened a bed and breakfast, The Bluebird Inn, at [[Bear Lake (Idaho–Utah)|Bear Lake]] on the border of Utah and [[Idaho]].<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.thebluebirdinn.com/index.htm | title=The Bluebird Inn - Luxury Bear Lake Bed and Breakfast Lodging }}</ref>

==Legacy==
Motta's 935 victories rank as 14th most in NBA history, with Motta being the only retired coach on the top 15 to not be a member of the [[Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame]], despite staunch support from former players and Hall of Fame members in [[Wes Unseld]] and [[Jerry Sloan]]. He ranks 9th all-time in games coached and fourth in losses. Even in 1995 when he approached 900 wins, he publicly stated to a reporter that he never expected to make the Hall of Fame in his lifetime because of the nature of the election process being "very political". In a 2023 article about his snub in the ''Dallas Morning News'', a theory was publicly addressed that a grudge with [[Jerry Colangelo]], who currently serves as the chairman of the Naismith Hall’s board of governors, may be a factor in Motta being snubbed for decades.<ref>https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2023/02/14/has-a-50-year-old-grudge-factored-into-former-mavs-coach-dick-motta-not-being-in-the-hof/</ref> In 2024, Motta was recognized by the [[Big Sky Conference]] with induction into their Hall of Fame. In Motta's tenure as a head coach, several people who either played for him or coached with him became a head coach in their own right, such as [[Rick Adelman]], [[Jason Kidd]], and [[Jerry Sloan]].<ref>https://bigskyconf.com/hof.aspx?hof=35</ref><ref>https://nbacoaches.com/dick-motta/</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{refbegin}}
* Dyani Gordon. "[http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/When_Washington_Went_to_the_Opera.html When Washington Went to the Opera]"
* NBA Encyclopedia. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120222184752/http://www.nba.com/history/finals/19771978.html 'Fat Lady' Sings Victorious Tune for Bullets]"
{{refend}}

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[[Category:1931 births]]
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