An Interview with Dick Tarrant, 3-Time NCAA Cinderella Coach of the University of Richmond

Every year, an underdog seed upsets a top seed in the first round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, becoming a “Cinderella story.” Last weekend, a #16 seed (UMBC) finally beat a #1 seed (University of Virginia). Only one coach was a Cinderella story three separate years. Dick Tarrant coached the the University of Richmond from 1981 to 1993, earning a 239-126 career record. In 1991, his Richmond team beat Syracuse in the NCAA tournament, the first time a #15 seed ever had defeated a #2 seed in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In 1984 his 12th seeded Richmond team beat a 5th seeded Auburn team that included future NBA superstar Charles Barkley (12th seed was the lowest seed until the tournament expanded the following year.) In 1988, his 13th seeded team beat #4 seed (and defending NCAA champion) Indiana and #5 seed Georgia Tech to make the Sweet Sixteen. Tarrant is the only NCAA men’s basketball head coach in history to win NCAA tournament games as a 12, 13, and 15 seed.

Last week, I published a blog about the leadership lessons from Coach Tarrant’s career. Coach Tarrant saw that article and contacted me to say he liked it - “Very much appreciate your fine article. You did some research, my man.” He was kind enough to let me interview him over email with 10 questions. Here they are.

1) How did you get your teams loose before the tournament game? I heard a story about one big coach coming to breakfast on final four gameday in a bathrobe to lighten things up. Did you have a trick like that?

I had no gimmick. I just emphasized the tremendous opportunity we had, that most all other mid-majors didn’t have. Let's follow our game plan. Play very hard and very smart. Our team leaders were always loose and confident and the others keyed off that

2) How did you make your players think they had a chance to beat Indiana in the first round, the year after they were the champions?

We knew Coach Knight was a totally controlled coach and probed every possession to his satisfaction. Our game plan was to shorten the game with constant defensive looks. We did a lot of different zone faces as zones neutralize superior talent, height, and depth. We changed to man to man at times too. Indiana passed 8, 9, 10 times before a shot. Therefore, they shortened the game - not us. We took our normal shots from the right player from high percentage areas. We made almost all of our free throws and had very few turnovers. The pace of the game helped us.

3) What was your gameplan to upset Syracuse, the year after they were in the final game?

We had a good offense versus zones. We thought their zone was vulnerable. We also figured they were overlooking a 15 seed. When they went to man to man defense we chopped them up, because they very rarely played that defense.

4) What do you remember about Charles Barkley, when you beat him and Auburn in the tournament? If you got on the phone with Charles Barkley this weekend while he is covering the tournament on TV, what would you ask him or remind him about that game?

Charles came up to me the day before the game, just after their workout, to ask if he and his teammates could watch us practice. I told him all practices were open to the public, so it was OK for him and his mates to watch. My managers told me later that all the Auburn players filed out after 5-10 minutes and were chuckling because we were so small and skinny! After the game Charles once again approached me to see if he could enter our locker room to shake hands with our John Newman. Charles gave me a big bear hug -- a crusher!

I would never ask Barkley about the game. I got to know Charles years later on our annual Nike vacation trip. Charles said he never ever forgot that game because, with a win he would have played Bob Knight's Indiana team. He was not fond of Knight as Knight cut Charles the previous summer from the 1984 National Olympic team for being too fat and out of shape. Barkley was the best player my teams ever played against - and that includes Ralph Sampson, David Robinson and others.

5) You are the only coach in history to win games as a 12, 13, and 15 seed. Did it get easier or harder to repeat making upsets like that?

I never gave seedings any thought whatsoever.

6) You went out on top. How did you know it was the right time to retire?

I was getting somewhat worn out trying to repeat time and again in the post-season. I was having restless nights and nearing my mid-sixties. Dean Smith called me with the same question as we were about the same age. One early morning while taking a daily jog, I decided to resign that day.

7) You were in your late forties when you left your high school coaching job in New Jersey to come down to be an assistant at Richmond for one of your old players. That was a big, brave move. Lots of people at that age would be scared of making such a big move at that age. Looking back, what advice would you give your 47 year old self?

That was a tough call, because my loved ones were not keen on the move. Mrs. T. was born and raised in Jersey City, NJ. She thought we were headed somewhere south of Birmingham, Alabama. I took a huge pay cut as I was a school system administrator. It was a big gamble. One plus was it got me back to college coaching (I was an assistant, part time at Fordham from 1965-69). We also had teenagers (ages 15, 17, and 19) and all of them would have tuition waived at a wonderful university which I could not have afforded had we remained in New Jersey. People must take sometimes risky moves in life. Mine worked out pretty well. All three kids are very successful professionals. Parents of seven. Grandparents to 3! Mrs. T had to return to a full-time job when we moved here 39 years ago so we might break even month to month. You wouldn't believe the salary of assistant coaches in late 1970’s to early 80's.

8) What are you most proud of from your coaching career?

I’m most proud that 47 of 48 of my recruits earned their degree. The one who missed out still might return or arrange to get his, as he is so near that degree. I’m very proud of my grads who have gone on in life professionally in so many varied ways. A dozen even selected a coaching career. We need so many high character people in coaching at all levels.

9) What would you say to the coach of UMBC after they finally broke through and became the first #16 seed to beat a #1? How do you prepare players for the next game after doing that? What advice would you give him?

It’s very difficult to come down off the high. In 1988 we were in the Sweet 16. I wish we would have stayed up in New Jersey after playing in Hartford. We came home Monday to a welcome of hundreds upon hundreds of people, a parade-like pep rally, TV interviews and more. We had two light practices to play against Temple, who had been #1 for 12 weeks and had two 7 footers, in the New Jersey Meadowlands. They were a terrific team who toyed with us. We were never in that game. My advice to a coach would be to just stay away from the media blitz as best possible. Prepare like it’s just another league game.

10) You left New Jersey to move to Richmond, Virginia. Have you found a decent pizza place yet in Richmond that compares to New Jersey?

I could not find one, nor a bakery, nor a Jewish deli, nor a Greek owned diner, nor a bagel to come close to NJ-NY! All that has changed for the better in the last 20 years. We are really cookin' here in Richmond now-- especially if you like beer!

PS - If you post a comment here for Coach Tarrant, I told him I would forward them on to him.

About the Author: Victor Prince is an author, speaker, trainer, and coach who teaches strategy, communication and leadership skills to clients around the world. His new book, The Camino Way: Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain, is out in hardcover, audiobook, and ebook formats from the American Management Association and comes out in Spanish from HarperCollins in August. His book, Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide their Teams to Exceptional Results (Career Press) was named a Top 20 Leadership Book of 2016. Learn more at www.VictorPrince.com.

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