Flip Saunders
A basketball lifer whose offensive genius and player-friendly approach turned the Minnesota Timberwolves into a perennial playoff contender.
1955–2015 (age 60)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: February 23·Baby Boomers
Biography
Flip Saunders' basketball story was one of Midwestern grit and an obsessive love for the game's Xs and Os. He didn't leap straight to the NBA; he paid dues coaching in the CBA with the La Crosse Catbirds, honing a creative, guard-oriented offensive system that would become his signature. His big break came with the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he formed a transformative partnership with a young Kevin Garnett. Saunders's schemes, particularly the intricate 'corner offense,' maximized Garnett's unique skills and propelled the once-dormant franchise to eight consecutive playoff appearances. Though he never won a championship as a head coach, with later stops in Detroit and Washington, his reputation as an offensive savant and a coach who genuinely connected with his players was cemented. His sudden death in 2015 sent a wave of grief through the basketball world, a testament to his widespread respect.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Flip was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Flip Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Flip's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Coached the Minnesota Timberwolves to eight consecutive NBA playoff appearances from 1997 to 2005.
- Won 50 or more games in four consecutive seasons with the Timberwolves (2000-2004).
- Led the Detroit Pistons to three consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances (2006-2008).
Did You Know?
He was a standout point guard at the University of Minnesota, where he still holds the single-game assist record (17).
He and Kevin Garnett shared a close bond, with Garnett referring to him as 'Flip' rather than 'Coach'.
His son, Ryan Saunders, later became the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“You have to be able to adjust your game plan when the other team takes something away.”
