1979 Hall of Fame Inductee
Stan Watts came to BYU after excelling in football, baseball, basketball, and track at Murray High School and Weber Junior College. At BYU he won letter in football, basketball, and track, and was the school’s outstanding all-around senior athlete.
Stan graduated in 1938, but returned to BYU in 1947 and served at various times as a football, baseball, basketball, and track coach. He became head basketball coach in 1949, and his teams won two Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles, one Mountain States Conference title, and five WAC championships. They played in four NIT and seven NCAA tournaments, winning the NIT championship in 1951 and 1966.
Stan served on the NCAA basketball rules committee for four years and was president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1969. He also served as chairman of the 1976 U.S. Olympic Basketball Committee and as supervisor of WAC basketball officials. He is a member of the Helms, NACDA, Utah Sports, and Oklahoma City All-Sports Hall of Fame.
Stan was named BYU athletic director in 1970 and served in that position until 1976. He and his wife Emily had three daughters and a son.