MINNEAPOLIS – Legendary NBA and University of North Dakota men's basketball coach Bill Fitch was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for the Class of 2019 as announced on Saturday in Minneapolis prior to the beginning of the NCAA Final Four.

"What a great day for Coach Fitch and his family," said Athletics Director Bill Chaves. "There are many UND supporters that knew that this day would come. We are so proud that UND played a small part in his Hall of Fame career."

Fitch, a native of Davenport, Iowa, coached in the NBA for 25 seasons, being named Coach of the Year twice (1976, 1980). In 1996, he was named to the NBA's Ten Best Coaches of All Time. He led the Boston Celtics to a NBA Championship (1981) and still holds the highest winning percentage in Celtics history (.738). He is only the second coach in NBA history to lead a team to three straight 60-win seasons. He was the recipient of the NBA's Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2012-13 NBA season.
 
While at UND, Fitch accumulated 94 wins over his five season as head coach, helping the Fighting Sioux reach back-to-back NCAA Division II Final Fours in 1965 and 1966, led by future NBA Hall of Famer Phil Jackson. His 94 victories and .676 winning percentage ranks sixth all-time in program history while his .767 winning percentage in North Central Conference (NCC) play sits first at North Dakota.
 
Fitch was inducted into the UND Hall of Fame in 1993, and is joined by his 1964-65 and 1965-66 teams as well as players Phil Jackson, David Lince, Thomas Nesbitt, James Hester, and Alex Cooley.
 
The class will be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Sept. 6.