By Jim Seimas, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Bob Bugalski, 1931-2024: Iconic Seahawks coach loved his family, all things basketball
If local coaching genius Bob Bugalski was still alive, he would've enjoyed watching the UConn men's basketball team play in this year's NCAA Tournament, including Monday's national championship, his son Bobbie said.
"They play tough, they're well coached, and they got better during the year," Bobbie rationalized.
Former NCAA Division I coach Bob Williams, who played for Bugalski and later served as his assistant at Cabrillo College, has a different take. Bugalski would've rooted for a team like upset-minded North Carolina State, the No. 11 seed in the South Region, which reached the Final Four.
"He'd like the underdog," Williams said, "because he had that role for so many years."
Regardless of who was playing, the coach, affectionately known as "Bugs," would've been tuned in. He loved college basketball. He attended seven straight NCAA Regionals, up until the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as four Final Fours.
Bugalski died at a rest home in Bakersfield on Feb. 10, three weeks shy of his 93rd birthday.
Those who knew him were saddened by the passing of a well-known coaching great, who stood 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, had a larger than life personality, and a firm handshake that could bring recipients to their knees.
"He was an icon in the basketball community when I was growing up," said Stu Walters, a longtime head coach at Soquel who played for Bugalski at Cabrillo during the 1977-79 seasons.
Bugalski served as the Seahawks' head coach from 1967-80 and was inducted into the California Community College Basketball Hall of Fame in '83. He was also part of Cabrillo's inaugural HOF Class in 2016.
The hardwood was his domain. In his heyday, he roamed the sideline wearing leisure suits and thick-framed, Harry Carey-like glasses.
"When he walked into a gym, everyone noticed," Bobbie said. "Because of his physical stature and booming voice. And his hands were huge. It was a handshake you'd never forget."
He was a coach and mentor who spoke his mind, to players and game officials.
"He had a strong personality," said Dave Mercer, who played basketball under Bugalski at Watsonville from 1963-65. "He let you know what he thought was right and wrong, in no uncertain terms.
"He was tough. You knew he really liked you, but he didn't goof around either."
Said Williams, "He was a perfectionist. He liked to keep things moving."
Well, not always. Bugalski coached when there wasn't a shot clock or 3-point line. In one of Cabrillo's legendary games in the mid-1970s, he had one of his guards hold onto the ball for close to 12 minutes late in a tie game against heavily favored, powerhouse Skyline. The strategy didn't lure the Trojans out of their trademark, 2-3 zone defense, but it gave the Seahawks the final shot, which they converted for the upset.
"He'd do whatever it takes to give you a chance to win," Williams said. "He was ahead of his time."
Bugalski was an underdog who made good as a player and coach. He grew up playing ice hockey in Wisconsin but quit the sport when he was asked to specialize as an enforcer, a role that included a heavy dose of fisticuffs. That didn't fit Bugalski's nature.
"He had a heart of gold," said Bobbie, noting that his father believed that his five children, three of whom have passed, were his most valuable accomplishments.
As a teen, Bugalski was spotted playing city league basketball in Wisconsin and recruited to nearby St. Norbert College, where he shined from 1951-55 and averaged 14.2 points per game as a senior. He was the program's first player inducted into the school's athletics hall of fame in '86.
He moved to California in '57 to take a job at Mora High, which is now St. Francis in Watsonville, and coached for five years. He also had a five-year tenure at Watsonville from '62-67 before taking over at Cabrillo.
While his teams featured out-of-area talent, he made it a point to recruit local players. His teams were competitive and earned wins over more talented teams.
"He felt the college should and can compete with local kids, and have outside kids flashed in," his son said. "Local kids were always his focus."
His teams made substantial trips each year, going as far as Hawaii and Canada. On road trips, he made sure his teams ate well. It wasn't uncommon for him -- and his players -- to swing by three or four restaurants before choosing the one that gave him the best deal, meaning he and his coaching staff got to each for free.
During his time at Cabrillo, Bugalski ran two-week, basketball camps each summer. He invited a star-studded list of coaches and players help provide instruction, including Dick Davey, Carroll Williams, Jerry Pimm, Rick Majerus, Stan Morrison, Nate Thurmond, and Al Attles.
Brilliant basketball minds, all of them, but Bugalski often prodded them to limit their speaking and run more drills.
"The kids wouldn't be sitting, they'd be moving," Bobbie said.
Walters, a former two-sport talent at Cabrillo who went on to compete at Chico State, was among the attendees.
"It was great basketball." Walters said. "Two hours a day for two weeks for two dollars. That's where I learned to play."
After he retiring as coach, Bugalski continued to stay involved with the game. He served as CCCAA State Basketball Tournament Director. He was responsible for every aspect of running a successful event, including securing a quality venue.
Under his watch, the state tournament was held at Toso Pavilion, now the Leavey Center at Santa Clara University, Selland Arena in Fresno, and UC Irvine's Bren Events Center.
"He wanted it to be a high quality tournament," Bobbie said. "It was a college sport and needed to be treated like a college sport, not a junior college sport."
In March, one month after Bugalski's death, Cabrillo qualified for the state tournament for the first time in school history. There's no question, if he was still alive and in good health, he would've attended the Seahawks' quarterfinal loss to defending champ Fullerton at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, and offered coach James Pages a hearty congratulations and firm handshake.
"He would've been very proud of them," Bobbie said.