Mulligan passes away

Bill Mulligan, who brought national acclaim to the UC Irvine men’s basketball program in the 1980s, passed away Tuesday at the age of 79. He would have turned 80 next month.

Mulligan served 11 seasons (1980-91) as UCI’s head coach, compiling a 40-17 record in his first two seasons.

His first Anteater team in 1980-81 led the nation in scoring at 86.4 points per game and his 1981-82 squad that finished 23-7 overall ranked No. 1 in the country in field-goal percentage at 56.1%.

In his first game at UCI’s head coach, the Anteaters set the school’s single-game scoring record that still stands today in a 125-96 win over Virginia Military Institute at Crawford Hall Nov. 29, 1980.

Mulligan’s first two teams featured All-American forward Kevin Magee, who averaged 26.3 points and 12.3 rebounds over those two seasons.

Mulligan led the Anteaters to the National Invitation Tournament in 1982 and 1986.

The 1982 squad defeated San Diego State, 70-69, on the road in the first round of the NIT before losing a road game at Oklahoma, 80-77, in the second round minus an injured Magee.

UCI’s 1986 NIT team defeated UCLA, 80-74, at Pauley Pavilion in the first meeting between the schools.

Mulligan was named Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. Coach of the Year following that 1986 season.

In March 1988, he led UCI to the PCAA Tournament championship game after defeating No. 7-ranked UNLV in the semifinals.

Mulligan, who resigned at the end of the 1991 season, had a career record of 163-156 with the Anteaters. Eight of his players were drafted into the NBA and former player Scott Brooks is currently head coach of the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder.

The success of his UCI teams helped fuel the interest in constructing the Bren Events Center on campus. In the first game played at the Bren, UCI defeated Utah State, 118-96, Jan. 8, 1987, as Brooks scored 43 points.

Mulligan continued his coaching career at Irvine Valley College from 1992-95.

He was inducted into UCI’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and the California Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.

A Chicago native, Mulligan began his coaching career in California at Long Beach Poly High. He became Poly’s head coach in 1959 and won two CIF titles in five years. He also coached football at Poly in 1963.

Mulligan then served as an assistant coach at USC under Forrest Twogood for two seasons.

Mulligan became head coach at Riverside City College, replacing Jerry Tarkanian, in 1966. Mulligan’s RCC teams compiled a record of 196-87 in nine seasons.

In 1975, Mulligan was named head coach at Saddleback College, where his powerhouse teams were 136-31 in five seasons before he moved to UCI.

Mulligan received his B.A. degree from Chicago Teachers College in 1952 and his M.A. degree from DePaul University in 1956.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, sons Billy, Jr., Shawn and Brian, and sister Kay Huguelet.

Memorial service plans are pending.

— From staff reports