Doug Moe, former Denver Nuggets head coach, dies at age 87

Former Denver Nuggets Head Coach Doug Moe died on Tuesday in San Antonio at the age of 87. According to one of his former Nuggets players, Bill Hanzlik, he died peacefully with his wife Jane at his side. 

Moe coached the Nuggets from 1980 to 1990, amassing 432 wins. A record that stood for 34 years before Michael Malone surpassed it in 2024. The Nuggets also reached the playoffs 9 times under Moe, and he earned the NBA Coach of the Year award in 1988.

"How far we went with who we had and winning at home, we dominated at home, said former Nugget Bill Hanzlik. "I attribute all of that to Doug Moe."

Moe was one of the great characters in the NBA. He turned the characterization "Stiff" into a term of endearment using in when discussing the opposition and even his own players. He often looked disheveled on the sideline and was known for not running any plays. That's right, the Nuggets just passed and cut but didn't run any designed plays and still led the league in scoring 6 times under Moe.

"We literally didn't have any plays," Hanzlik said. "It was like you were playing a pickup game at a park with your best friends. Teams really had a hard time playing against us."

Moe finished his coaching career with 628 wins, the 19th most in NBA history. 

In 1997, Moe was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was added to the New York City Hall of Fame and in 2018, he was honored with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. 

"His legacy is that he was a heck of a basketball coach," said former Nugget and Pro Basketball Hall of Famer Dan Issel. "But he was a better friend."