Legendary MSU Basketball Coach Judd Heathcote Dies at 90

Judd Heathcote

Judd Heathcote, the head Michigan State University basketball coach from 1976–1995, died Monday in Spokane, Wash., the MSU Athletic Department announced. He was 90.

Heathcoate coached such greats as "Magic Johnson," and was credited with helping hire Tom Izzo, the current coach.

"The basketball world is a sadder place today with the passing of Jud Heathcote," Izzo says in a statement. "No one cared more about the welfare of the game than Jud. He was a coach's coach and a mentor to many. Our hearts are filled with sadness and deepest sympathy for his wife Beverly and the Heathcote family."