Post-NBA Career
He began his coaching career by serving as a combined player/coach for the Boston Celtics during the 1978-79 season, but he quit coaching after the season, and returned as a full-time player before retiring in 1980. On February 8, 1981, the Celtics retired Cowens' uniform number. Cowens uniform number (#18) had previously been worn by Jim Loscutoff, who asked that the number not be retired so future Celtics could wear it.
Cowens coached the Bay State Bombardiers of the Continental Basketball Association in 1984-85. He returned to the NBA coaching ranks by serving as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs in 1994-96, and became head coach of the Charlotte Hornets from 1996 to 1999 and had a brief tenure as head coach with the Golden State Warriors from 1999 to 2001 which only lasted 105 games.
In 1991, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In 1990, Cowens, a former Democrat, ran as a Republican for Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. However, because he did not register by June 5, 1989, he was unable to appear on the primary ballot. Cowens considered running a sticker campaign for the Republican nomination, however he decided to drop out of the race.
On May 25, 2005, he was named head coach of the newly formed Chicago franchise in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team, known as the Chicago Sky, began play in 2006 at the UIC Pavilion, located in the University of Illinois at Chicago. After only winning five games in the 2006 season, however, Cowens left the Sky to join the coaching staff of the Detroit Pistons on September 12, 2006.
There is a road named after him in his hometown of Newport, Kentucky: "Dave Cowens Drive".
Read more about this topic: Dave Cowens
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