Steve Yoder

Steve Yoder

Biographical details
Born	(1939-11-01) November 1, 1939
Playing career
Basketball
c. 1960	Illinois Wesleyan
Baseball
1959–1962	Illinois Wesleyan
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Basketball
1962–1964	Glen Ellyn JH (IL) (assistant)
1964–1967	Plymouth HS (IN) (assistant)
1967–1973	Plymouth HS (IN)
1973–1975	Furman (assistant)
1975–1976	Penn HS (IN)
1976–1977	Ball State (assistant)
1977–1982	Ball State
1982–1992	Wisconsin
2014–2017	Houston (dir. of operations)
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
2000–2003	Indiana Pacers (scout)
2003–2011	New York Knicks (scout)
Head coaching record
Overall	205–227 (college)
Tournaments	0–1 (NCAA Division I) 2–2 (NIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 MAC regular season (1981, 1982) MAC tournament (1981)
Awards
2× MAC Coach of the Year (1981, 1982)

Stephen Kent Yoder (born November 1, 1939) is an American former college basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Ball State University from 1977 to 1982 and the University of Wisconsin–Madison from 1982 to 1992, compiling career college basketball coaching record of 205–227. Yoder most recently served as director of operations for the Houston Cougars men's basketball team.

Background

Yoder is a native of Plymouth, Indiana and 1958 graduate of Plymouth High School. He attended then NAIA-member Illinois Wesleyan University on a basketball and baseball scholarship winning four letters in baseball and two in basketball before graduating in 1962. He received his master's degree from University of Saint Francis, then called Saint Francis College, in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1970.

Career

He started his coaching career at Glen Ellyn, Illinois junior high school, and in 1965 took an assistant's position in basketball at Plymouth, Indiana. He became head coach at Plymouth in 1967 and proceeded to guide the school to three conference titles, three sectional crowns, a pair of regional titles, and two finishes among the top ten teams in state rankings over a six-year period. Yoder was named Indiana's District One Coach of the Year in 1973 and he then accepted a job as assistant coach at Furman University. He returned to Indiana in 1975 as head coach at Mishawaka's Penn High School. He then became assistant basketball coach at Ball State University in 1976 and a year later became head coach at the school.

Yoder was head coach at Ball State from 1977–78 to 1981–82, compiling a record of 77–62. He was named the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year for both the 1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons. The 1980–81 Ball State team shared the MAC title with three other schools and gained an NCAA tournament berth by winning the conference's post-season tournament. Ball State compiled an overall 17–11 record during the 1981–82 season including a 12–4 conference record that gave them the MAC championship. The Cardinals lost to Northern Illinois University 79–75 in overtime in the MAC post-season tournament title game with the winner advancing to the NCAA meet.

In 1982, he left for University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he coached the Badgers until 1992. He compiled a record of 128–165 and led the Badgers to the National Invitation Tournament in 1988–89 and 1990–91 – the Badgers' first postseason appearances in over 40 years. For his accomplishments in coaching the 18–12 NIT team in 1988–89, Yoder was named Kodak District XI Coach of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches as well as Midwest Coach of the Year by Basketball Times. Yoder was forced to resign in February 1992, effective after the season.

After coaching, he became a scout with the Indiana Pacers and later the New York Knicks.

Awards

Yoder is a member of the Ball State University Hall of Fame (2001) and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame (2020).

Head coaching record

College

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Ball State Cardinals (Mid-American Conference) (1977–1982)
1977–78	Ball State	10–15	6–10	T–7th
1978–79	Ball State	16–11	9–7	4th
1979–80	Ball State	14–15	7–9	T–4th
1980–81	Ball State	20–10	10–6	T–1st	NCAA Division I first round
1981–82	Ball State	17–11	12–4	1st
Ball State:		77–62	44–36
Wisconsin Badgers (Big Ten Conference) (1982–1992)
1982–83	Wisconsin	8–20	3–15	10th
1983–84	Wisconsin	8–20	4–14	10th
1984–85	Wisconsin	14–14	5–13	9th
1985–86	Wisconsin	12–16	4–14	9th
1986–87	Wisconsin	14–17	4–14	8th
1987–88	Wisconsin	12–16	6–12	7th
1988–89	Wisconsin	18–12	8–10	6th	NIT second round
1989–90	Wisconsin	14–17	4–14	T–8th
1990–91	Wisconsin	15–15	8–10	7th	NIT second round
1991–92	Wisconsin	13–18	4–14	9th
Wisconsin:		128–165	50–130
Total:		205–227
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

External links

• Houston profile