Cotton's spirit, skill remembered by Suns
By wire services
Published July 26, 2004
PHOENIX - Former Suns coach Lowell "Cotton" Fitzsimmons was remembered Sunday as a straight-shooting, feisty fixture of the franchise for more than 30 years.
Mr. Fitzsimmons, 72, the three-time Suns coach and two-time NBA coach of the year, died Saturday of complications from lung cancer.
"He has always been a great friend, and I appreciate him bringing me to Phoenix. It changed my basketball career forever," said former player Charles Barkley, who went to Phoenix last week to visit Mr. Fitzsimmons in the hospital. "I'm glad I got a chance to tell him that before he passed away."
Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo has jokingly said that Mr. Fitzsimmons was the only man he had given a lifetime contract. Both said they never had any agreement beyond a handshake in Mr. Fitzsimmons' years with the franchise.
Colangelo lured Mr. Fitzsimmons to the Suns in 1970. He left to coach Atlanta in 1972. He became coach of the Suns for the second time in 1988 after serving one year as the franchise's first director of player personnel.
Colangelo credited Mr. Fitzsimmons with rebuilding the Suns in 1988. The Suns won 55 games in the 1988-89 season, 21 more than the previous season.
Mr. Fitzsimmons left the sidelines in 1992 after guiding Phoenix to four straight 50-win seasons and two trips to the Western Conference final.
He moved to the front office, but took over as coach again when Paul Westphal was fired in January 1996.
"To be honest, he won a lot of basketball games, and I mean a lot, with very mediocre teams," said former Suns forward Connie Hawkins. "If they really checked the records, the games he won and the teams he carried, he probably should be nominated for the Hall of Fame."
THANKS FROM SHAQ: Shaquille O'Neal took out a full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times to thank Lakers fans for their support during his eight years with the team he helped win three NBA championships. The 7-foot-1, 340-pound O'Neal was traded last week to Miami. "I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your incredible support over the last eight years," O'Neal said in the ad. "I am moving on to the next chapter in my career, but I will never forget the support that you gave me."