Editor’s note: In the Colorado Classics series, The Denver Post takes a weekly look at individuals who made their mark on the Colorado sports landscape and what they are doing now.
A sure way to get a rise out of Boyd “Tiny” Grant is to suggest he did his coaching from the bench.
Grant was just the opposite.
He rarely was in his chair when his Colorado State Rams were on the basketball court. He just couldn’t sit still, because his enthusiasm got the best of him.
“I just was showing that I was doing my best to motivate my players and keep them going,” Grant said from his home in Pocatello, Idaho. “I wanted them to know I was in the game with them.”
Looking back about 16 years, Grant remembered his late wife, Glenna, had a suggestion or two about his demeanor.
“She would say that if I wanted to see a sixth-grader in action, I should watch myself on the game tape,” Grant said. “She asked me why I didn’t sit down and rest.”
But Grant’s behavior on the sideline isn’t the legacy he left behind. Instead, it was a time when the Rams stood tall on the national college scene and in the Western Athletic Conference.
In Grant’s first season (1987-88) at CSU, the Rams advanced to the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament by beating New Orleans (63-54), Houston (71-61) and Arkansas State (64-49). After losing to Ohio State by two points in the semifinals, the Rams defeated Boston College 58-57 for third place.
The next season, CSU won the WAC title by beating Wyoming, Utah and BYU on the road in the last three games of the regular season, went 2-1 in the WAC Tournament and won a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, beating Florida 68-46. The Rams lost to Syracuse 65-50 in the second round to finish with a 23-10 record.
Another highlight for Grant, who compiled an 81-46 record at CSU, involved getting the best of the University of Colorado. Grant’s personal encounters with CU were mixed, as the CSU lost to the Buffaloes 60-44 in Boulder his first season The next season, the Rams beat the Buffs 73-72 in Fort Collins.
Grant fondly remembers the Mile High Classic in Denver in the 1989-90 season. The field at McNichols Sports Arena was CU, CSU, North Carolina and Massachusetts.
“I always have thought that CU set it up so we would play North Carolina and they would get Massachusetts,” Grant said. “We beat North Carolina, but they didn’t beat Massachusetts.”
The Rams won the tournament, beating North Carolina and coach Dean Smith 78-67, and then Massachusetts and coach John Calipari 77-51.
Grant, 73, has been out of coaching since he left CSU after the 1990-91 season. But basketball hasn’t left him.
“I still get excited when I watch the selection show as they announce the NCAA field,” Grant said. “I remember how it was when you watched and waited to see your name go up on the board.”
He feels a connection to the tournaments this year, remembering Kansas assistant coach Tim Jankovich and Oregon head coach Ernie Kent were assistants on his CSU staff. Illinois State hired Jankovich as its next head coach last week.
“I don’t know any of the players anymore, but I know some of the coaches,” Grant said. “I pull for them, and when their teams are playing on television, I watch to see if I can see them on the bench. I keep an interest that way.”
Grant’s connection to CSU predates his time as head coach. He played for the Rams from 1955-57, averaging 13.4 points, when Colorado A&M played in the Skyline Conference.
After his playing days, his path led to coaching Mountain View (Wyo.) High School near Casper. He resurfaced at CSU for 12 seasons as an assistant coach and then moved on to Kentucky. He became head coach at the College of Southern Idaho (1975-77), then moved to Fresno State as head coach for nine seasons before returning to CSU for a four-year term as head coach.
“When I came back, Oval Jaynes (CSU athletic director) asked me how many years I wanted on my contract,” Grant said. “I just guaranteed him that he wouldn’t have to fire me because I’d know when the job was done.”
Grant treasures his memories. He once told veteran CSU coach Jim Williams he was the only player who played for him all four years.
Grant went to Snow Junior College in Utah and played for Williams in the 1954-55 season. Williams was named CSU head coach in 1955, and Grant followed him to Fort Collins.
“When I told him that, Jim said, ‘How did I live so long?”‘ Grant said.
Grant hasn’t forgotten his roots at CSU. He remembered thinking that when he left in 1991 he probably should have stayed another three or four years.
“I just thought it was time,” Grant said. “I was so fortunate that I had Jim Williams as my coach. He even brought me back as an assistant coach. I owe him a lot.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
