Inductees

Cotton Fitzsimmons, a Missouri native, won 832 games in 21 seasons as a coach in the National Basketball Association, tying him with Phil Jackson for 10th on the career victory list in the 1990s.

Fitzsimmons, whose career record was 832-775, was a two-time coach of the year and made 12 postseason appearances with four different teams.

He was best known in Phoenix, where he had a 341-208 record and five playoff appearances over eight seasons. Fitzsimmons led the Suns to four straight 50-plus-victory seasons and playoff appearances starting in the 1988-89 season. He last coached Phoenix at the start of the 1996-97 season, stepping down after the team started 0-8. He also served as an analyst on the Suns’ radio and television broadcasts for several years.

Lowell Fitzsimmons was born in Hannibal and began his coaching career in 1958 at Moberly (Mo.) Junior College, compiling a 223-59 record in nine seasons. He then joined the staff at Kansas State, where he was an assistant for one season before taking over as coach. He led the Wildcats to a 34-20 record in two seasons; in 1969-70, Kansas State won the Big Eight Conference title, Fitzsimmons was named the conference’s coach of the year and the Wildcats reached the N.C.A.A. regional semifinals.

Fitzsimmons then coached the Suns for two seasons, followed by one postseason appearance in four seasons with the Atlanta Hawks, a year in the front office of the Golden State Warriors, and a season coaching the Buffalo Braves.

He then led the Kansas City Kings to four playoff appearances in six seasons and the San Antonio Spurs to postseason berths in 1985 and 1986 before joining the Suns’ front office. He was the N.B.A.’s coach of the year in 1979 with the Kings and in 1989 with the Suns.