Lowell Fitzsimmons (October 7, 1931–July 24, 2004) was a native of Hannibal, Missouri who was a college and NBA basketball coach. Better known as Cotton Fitzsimmons, he coached the Phoenix Suns three times, and is often credited as the architect of the Suns' success of the late 1980s and early to middle 1990s. October 7 is the 280th day of the year (281st in leap years). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday. ... July 24 is the 205th day (206th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 160 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hannibal (Americas Hometown) is a city located in Marion and Ralls County, Missouri. ... The National Basketball Association, more commonly referred to as the NBA, is the worlds premier mens professional basketball league and one of the major professional sports leagues of North America. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005 Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls attempts to score. ... The Phoenix Suns are a National Basketball Association team based in Phoenix, Arizona. ... The 1980s, in its most obvious sense, was the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... The 1990s refers to the years 1990 to 1999; the last decade of the 20th Century, but in an economical sense The Nineties is often considered to span from the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 to the September 11 attacks in 2001. ...

He got his first coaching job at Moberly Junior College in 1956. He coached there eleven years, capping his tenure with two national junior college championships (NJCAA), in 1966 and 1967. In 1968, Fitzsimmons was hired by Kansas State University, where he served as head basketball coach for only two seasons before going into the NBA. Moberly is a city located in Randolph County, Missouri. ... In India, a Junior College consists of classes (also known as grades by foreign schools) 11 and 12 and are taught by colleges rather than in schools. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link goes to calendar) // Events January January 1 - In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa ousts president David Dacko and takes over the Central African Republic. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Kansas State University (sometimes referred to as K-State) is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas. ...

In 1970, Fitzsimmons replaced Jerry Colangelo as Suns coach. He took the team to their first winning season, going 48-34 that season. 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Jerry Colangelo (born November 20, 1939) is a respected Arizona sports mogul. ...

In 1972, Fitzsimmons went on to coach the Atlanta Hawks. He would return to Phoenix in 1975, to become a permanent resident, although he still coached the Hawks. According to Fitzsimmons, one of the main reasons he accepted a job as Hawks coach was the opportunity to coach Pete Maravich. In 1976, he became the player personnel director for the 1974 NBA champion Golden State Warriors. 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... The Atlanta Hawks are a National Basketball Association (NBA) team based in Atlanta, Georgia. ... Phoenix was incorporated as a city on February 5, 1881. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... Pete Maravich (June 22, 1947 - January 5, 1988), known in the basketball world as Pistol Pete, was a legendary player who starred in college and for three NBA teams. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... The Golden State Warriors are a National Basketball Association team based in Oakland, California. ...

In 1977, Cotton Fitzsimmons was hired as head coach by the Buffalo Braves. He lasted there one season, being hired by the Kansas City Kings to be their head coach for the next season. With the Kings, he won the NBA "Coach of the Year" award in 1979. For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... The Los Angeles Clippers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. ... The Sacramento Kings are a National Basketball Association team based in Sacramento, California. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ...

In 1981, Fitzsimmons was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... State nickname: The Show Me State Official languages English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City (largest metropolitan area is Saint Louis) Governor Matt Blunt (R) Senators Kit Bond (R) Jim Talent (R) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 21st 69,709 mi²; 180,693 km² 1. ...

In 1984, his profession took him to San Antonio, Texas, where he was head coach of the Spurs. One year later, in 1985, he was inducted into the National Junior College Hall of Fame. 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Downtown San Antonio as viewed from the Tower of the Americas Motto: Nickname: Alamo City Location in Texas Founded 1731 Incorporated County Bexar County Borough {{{borough}}} Parrish {{{parrish}}} Mayor Phil Hardberger Area  - Total  - Water 1,067. ... The San Antonio Spurs are a National Basketball Association team based in San Antonio, Texas. ... This article is about the year. ...

Further honors came in 1988, when he was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame. He also returned to the Suns organization that year, becoming one of the driving forces behind the trade that sent Larry Nance to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kevin Johnson, Mark West and a future first round draft pick. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Larry Donnell Nance (b. ... The Cleveland Cavaliers are a National Basketball Association team based in Cleveland, Ohio. ... Kevin Maurice Johnson (born March 4, 1966 in Sacramento, CA) is a former American NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Phoenix Suns. ...

Cotton Fitzsimmons was very criticized both by Suns fans and basketball critics after the trade; Nance was very popular in Phoenix. But the Suns had come off a chaotic 1987–1988 season in which they only won 28 games and lost 54, and the team had been shaken by a drug scandal. With the first round draft pick of 1988, the Suns chose Dan Majerle, and the franchise had a turn-around season, winning 55 games and losing 27 before advancing all the way to the Western conference's finals that season, where they were swept by the Lakers. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Retail selling Street selling is the bottom of the chain and can be accomplished through purchasing from prostitutes, through cloaked retail stores or refuse houses for users in the act located in red-light districts which often also deal in paraphernalia, dealers marketing merriment at night clubs and other events... Daniel Lewis Majerle (surname pronounced MAR-lee; born September 9, 1965 in Traverse City, Michigan) is an American former professional basketball player. ... The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. ...

In 1989, he won his second "Coach of the Year" award in the NBA. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After another successful season, the Suns returned to the NBA playoffs in 1990. This time around, they returned the favor on the Lakers, beating them 4 games to 1 at the Western conference's semi-finals, but once again, Fitzsimmons' team fell short at the NBA's Western conference finals, losing to the Portland Trailblazers, 4 games to 2. This article is about the year. ... The Portland Trail Blazers are a National Basketball Association team based in Portland, Oregon. ...

In 1991, the Suns lost to the Utah Jazz at the Western conference playoffs' first round, 3 games to 1. In 1992, Cotton Fitzsimmons became only the sixth coach in NBA history to reach 800 wins. After losing to the Trail Blazers at that year's Western conference semi-finals, 4 games to 1, Fitzsimmons retired as coach, to work as Suns senior executive vice-president. By then a long time friend of Colangelo, he helped Colangelo decide to trade Jeff Hornacek and Andrew Lang for Charles Barkley, while also helping with the decision of signing free agent Danny Ainge. He also did television commentary, joining Al McCoy at Suns' broadcasts. 1991 (MCMXCI) is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Utah Jazz is a National Basketball Association team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Jeffrey John Hornacek (pronounced HOR-NA-SECK); (born May 3, 1963 in Elmhurst, Illinois) is a former NBA basketball player who played at the shooting guard position from 1986-2000. ... For the former National Basketball Association player, see Andrew Lang (basketball player). ... Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963 in Leeds, Alabama) is a former American basketball power forward. ... Daniel Ray Ainge (born March 17, 1959 in Eugene, Oregon) is a former professional basketball and baseball player who starred in the NBA for the Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Portland Trail Blazers and Phoenix Suns, and also in Major League Baseball for the Toronto Blue Jays. ... Al McCoy, The Voice Of The Suns, has broadcasted every Phoenix Suns NBA basketball game in history. ...

In 1996, He returned to the Suns as head coach for the third time, helping the Suns win thirteen games in a row and squeak by a game into the NBA playoffs, where they lost to the Spurs, 3 games to 1. 1996 (MCMXCVI) is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

The 1996–1997 Suns lost their first eight games, and Fitzsimmons resigned as head coach of the Suns. At the moment of his retirement, he had 832 wins and 775 losses, making him the eighth winningest coach in NBA history. He has since slipped to number ten in the all time winning list as an NBA coach. 1997 (MCMXCVII) is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Fitzsimmons was diagnosed with lung cancer later on in life. His family chose to keep his health status private. The incidence of lung cancer is highly correlated with smoking. ...

Fitzsimmons was very popular among Suns fans and in the Suns organization. In Phoenix, his car would often be stopped by autograph seeking fans, to which, in most times, he obliged to sign. This article might not be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ...

Months after being diagnosed with cancer, his condition worsened because of a brain stroke. He suffered two more brain strokes before it was finally revealed to the public that he was in serious condition at a local hospital. A stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA) occurs when the blood supply to a part of the brain is suddenly interrupted. ... A physician visiting the sick in a hospital. ...

On July 25, the morning after his passing, the Arizona Republic's sports section's headline read: ""Brightest Sun Fitzsimmons dies". July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... The Arizona Republic is a newspaper published in Phoenix, Arizona. ...