Jay Pivec

Athlete and Coach 1973

Jay Pivec graduated from Southwest in 1973 as president of his class and a proud member of O.B. Dahle’s award winning choir as well as a reserve on the basketball team, where one might say a coach was born. In fact, one of Jay’s earliest mentors was coach Walt Williams, a relationship that grew into friendship and lasted until Walt’s passing in 2004. Jay first coached baseball, football and basketball in the local SWAC and KCYO youth organizations.

His career as a college basketball coach began in 1978 as an assistant to another of Walt Williams’ protegees, Butch Raymond, at Minnesota State Mankato. From there he moved on to Augsburg College as an assistant coach helping the Auggies earn a MIAC title and a berth in the 1981 NAIA national tournament. His next stop was at the University of Minnesota where he was the graduate assistant as the Gophers won the 1982 Big Ten title. In 1983 he took his first job as head men’s basketball coach at Jamestown University, in Jamestown, North Dakota. Over the next 30 years he coached at Montana State University, Northern; MCTC in Minneapolis and founded the basketball program at DCTC in 2010. During those years, he became one of the most successful college basketball coaches in the nation with an overall record of 605-258. His teams were perennially ranked at the top of the national standings and he was honored 12 times as conference/region coach of the year and in 2009 was named the NJCAA national coach of the year.

In 2010 Jay was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame, one of only two Minnesota coaches to earn that honor. Jay’s greatest success were at Minneapolis Community and Technical College where he spent 20 seasons amassing a record of 452-115. Jay finished out his coaching career as an assistant at the University of St Thomas. He spent 5 seasons at UST helping the Tommies to 110-31 record with 4 MIAC titles and a NCAA DIII National title in 2016. Jay is currently working as an advance scout for the San Antonio Spurs.

Jay’s family is a true SW family with Jay’s wife the former Mary Louise Hubbell (‘78), children Tyler (‘01), Katie (‘03), Zach (‘08) and Josie (‘13). Go Indians and Lakers!