Montana State men's basketball coaching legend Stu Starner dies at 81

BOZEMAN — Former Montana State men's basketball coach Stu Starner passed away Wednesday. He was 81.

According to his obituary , a funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at the Bozeman's Hope Lutheran Church.

"RIP Coach Starner…You embraced us from day one last spring and encouraged us every step of the way," current Montana State coach Matt Logie posted on X (formerly Twitter). "You gave so much to so many and lived a life of IMPACT. The Bobcat Family will miss you and send our prayers to your loved ones and family."

Starner was the Bobcats' head coach from 1983-90. He compiled a 110-95 overall record and guided MSU to the 1986 NCAA tournament, a year in which he was named the Big Sky Conference coach of the year.

In 1986, the Bobcats entered the Big Sky tournament as the seventh seed. They defeated host Nevada 81-80 to open the tournament and then topped No. 1 seed Northern Arizona 80-74 to advance to the championship game. In the championship, Montana State earned an 82-77 victory over rival Montana to clinch the conference's berth in the NCAA tournament.

As a No. 16 seed, the Bobcats lost 83-74 to No. 1 seed St. John's. At the time, it was the Bobcats' second-ever appearance in the NCAA tournament.

In the following 1986-87 season, Starner coached MSU to a 21-8 overall record and 12-2 mark in Big Sky play to win the league's regular-season championship. The Bobcats were upset in the conference tournament by Weber State and then lost to Washington in the first round of the NIT.

Starner's 1985-86 and 1986-87 teams were inducted into the Montana State Hall of Fame in 2019.

"RIP Coach Starner and prayers to the Starner family," Montana State director of athletics Leon Costello posted to X. "A Bobcat legend, great mentor, and friend to everyone associated with @MSUBobcats. I will miss our conversations and seeing you in the stands. Thank you for listening and constant advice. You will be missed."

Starner, who was born in Hoffman, Minn., first arrived in Bozeman as an assistant coach with the Bobcats for the 1979-80 and 1980-81 seasons. He concluded his coaching career at the University of Texas San Antonio, where he spent five seasons and compiled an 84-58 overall record.