Ex-Amherst coach passes away
By Andrew Bruns, Managing Sports Editor
Mark Haymore, a former assistant basketball coach for the men's team here at the College, passed away last week at his home in Amherst.

A concerned friend called the police because Haymore did not show up for a scheduled meeting. Though the 6-foot-8-inch Haymore had apparently been dead for a few days, the death is not considered suspicious, according to Lieutenant Scott Livingstone in The Boston Globe. The deceased, age 48, had a history of heart problems.

Haymore was a member of the undefeated Indiana University team that won the NCAA championship in 1976. After two years as a Hoosier, Haymore travelled east to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he would become a star. During his two seasons at UMass, he averaged 15.6 points a game, leading the Minutemen with 17.1 points and 10 rebounds per game his senior season. As a result of his growing reputation as an outstanding player, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 1978 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers and in the eighth round the following year by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Haymore owned a painting company nearby and had in recent years made his mark as an assistant coach for the Jeffs. "He was of the old school," said Coach Dave Hixon '75 in an article by The Associated Press.  "He was a pleasure to have as an assistant because he was always there 15 minutes early for practice, eager to get going. He was very generous. One year he took out all the classes of kids for dinner so he could get to know them better."

After leaving Amherst, Haymore coached at Amherst-Pelham Regional High School and the Bement School in Deerfield. He had recently been hired to coach the San Jose Spiders, a minor league women's professional team.

According to Hixon, Haymore is survived by a daughter and a granddaughter.

Issue 13, Submitted 2004-12-12 16:16:54