Former Trail Blazers and Clippers coach Mike Schuler has died, Portland confirmed on social media on Wednesday. He was 81 years old
Schuler got his start in coaching at the college level, first as an assistant for a few teams but ultimately taking over the Virginia Military Institute basketball team for three years. He was also the coach at Rice for four years before jumping to the NBA as an assistant.
Portland hired Schuler in 1986 and he took the team to the playoffs in his first two seasons, which also included winning the 1987–88 NBA Coach of the Year award in his rookie year.