FRESNO, Calif. – Gary Colson, who coached Fresno State for five seasons during the early '90s, passed away on Friday at the age of 89.
During his 34-year Division I coaching career, Colson earned 563 wins which ranks 62nd on the NCAA all-time time list. Seventy-six of those wins came at Fresno State from 1990-95, which ranks ninth in the program's history.
Colson's most memorable season with the Bulldogs came in 1994 in which he led Fresno State to a 21-11 record and a spot in the NIT. With wins over USC and BYU, the 'Dogs reached the quarterfinals of the postseason tournament.
Less than a decade earlier, Colson helped make one of the most significant changes in collegiate basketball. A member of the NCAA Rules Committee in 1986, Colson was an advocate for adding a 3-point shot. It was his proposal that passed despite prominent coaches who were against it.
Colson was born in Logansport, Indiana and played collegiately at Lipscomb.