Former Zip Mike Harkins Dies

[johnnyzip84]

Here is the Beacon article.

Link

[Z.I.P.]

Not many of you will know his name, and most of those who do know little about him. Mike Harkins was the university's all-time leading scorer until, I believe, Len Paul broke his record in the early 70s. Though I never met the man, I grew up hearing stories of his heroics at Memorial Hall. Harkins was an all-around player, who could score, or make his teammates look good with his own playmaking skills. Harkins went on to become one of the most respected small college coaches at Eastern Montana University, and was an assistant coach to Bob Knight on the US Olympic team in 1976 in Montreal. He wrote a book on the game of basketball that was one of the most-read books in coaching. He was a real legend, who I understand on more than one occasion was considered for the head job at UA.

When I first moved to Hawaii, I met the commissioner of the league that the Div II schools here played in, and learned that he had been Athletic Director at EMU during Mike's coaching days there. We had some long conversations about his old friend. I believe Mike Harkins was the best coach the University of Akron ever produced, even without most Akron fans knowing him. And he had friends from coast-to-coast. Mike Harkins died in Billings last month at 81.

Beacon Journal story: http://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/89468682.html