Brown Announces Death of Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Cingiser at Age 84

Brown Announces Death of Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Cingiser at Age 84

Mike Cingiser, a member of the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame and Head Coach of Brown’s only Ivy League Championship Team [in 1986], passed away recently at the age of 84. Cingiser played for the Bears from 1959-62 before being the head coach of the Bears from 1981-91.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mike Cingiser," Head Men's Basketball Coaching Chair Mike Martin said. "I've been fortunate to have known Mike since my days as a student-athlete at Brown and have always admired what he has done and meant for Brown Basketball. From his days as an All-Ivy player and one of the all-time greats in program history to leading our 1986 team to the Ivy Championship as head coach, he is a legend and a Brown Basketball icon. We are all thinking about and praying for his family at this time."

Cingiser was named First Team All-Ivy League in all three varsity seasons with the Bears, one of only nine players in Ivy League history to be so honored at the time. Cingiser graduated as Brown's leading scorer in scoring (1,331 points) and field goals made (490). Cingiser's 17.8 points per game still ranks tied for fourth in program history. Cingiser was also named to the Brown 100th Season's All-Decade Team (1960's).

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While in school, Cingiser helped the United States to a gold medal at the 1961 Maccabiah Games alongside Larry Brown, who would become the only coach to win an NCAA national championship and an NBA title.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in English Literature from Brown University in 1962, Cingiser was selected in the ninth round of the NBA draft by the Boston Celtics but instead chose to coach and teach. He spent 11 years as head coach and English teacher at Lynbrook (NY) High School, winning two Long Island South Shore Championships and twice being named Long Island Coach of the Year. Cingiser also spent two years at Hofstra University as an assistant coach, winning back-to-back East Coast Conference Championships and appearing in two NCAA Tournaments.

"While Mike was celebrated for his unparalleled accomplishments as a player and his status as the only men's basketball head coach to achieve an Ivy League Championship in Brown Basketball history, he was far more than that to this program," Brown men's basketball color commentator and Hall of Famer Russ Tyler '71 said. "His far-reaching impact on countless student-athletes cannot be overstated. His decades of dedication to and enthusiasm for Brown Men's Basketball is insurmountable. Despite physical difficulties as time marched on, he stayed intimately involved with the inner workings of this program. The friends of Brown Basketball bid the saddest of farewells to this giant of a man of immense character and integrity and send deep condolences to his family."

Cingiser returned to his alma mater in 1981 and coached the Bears for 10 seasons, the third-longest tenure in program history behind his own head coach L. Stanley Ward and current Head Men's Basketball Coaching Chair Martin. Cingiser's 93 total wins at the helm of his alma mater are tied for the third-most wins for a head coach in program history. Paramount among Cingiser's accomplishments as head coach in Providence was leading the Bears to their lone Ivy League championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1985-86, Brown's first NCAA postseason berth since 1938-39.

"I want to help Brown develop a consistent level of excellence in Ivy League basketball," Cingiser said upon being named head coach of the Bears. "I have feelings for the University that go far beyond the simple employee-employer relationship or a stepping stone to a bigger basketball program."

Cingiser is survived by his wife Marjan. Together Mike and Marjan had four children: Karen '85, Nicole '89, Lisa, and David. Their daughter Nicole '89 passed away in 2018.