John Begzos
John Begzos (April 7, 1942 – September 1, 2004) was an American sports executive who served as general manager of the San Antonio Spurs and Kansas City Kings.
Early life
Begzos was born on April 7, 1942, in Detroit to John and Laura Begtzos. He graduated from Walled Lake High School in 1960. He then worked as an assistant golf professional and studied at Michigan State University until 1967, when he joined the United States Army. He served in the 196th Light Infantry Brigade of the Americal Division during the Vietnam War and was awarded three Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star Medal with the "V" device, and the Silver Star. After receiving a medical discharge he returned to Michigan State and received his accounting degree.[1]
Career
Begzos began his career as a ticket manager for the
General manager Jack Ankerson left the team after the inaugural season to take the same job with the Virginia Squires and Bergzos was chosen to succeed him.[3] He held this position for five seasons, during which time the Spurs made the playoffs every year and were one of the four of the remaining six accepted into the National Basketball Association as part of the ABA–NBA merger. By his final season as GM, the team's average attendance per game had risen to just under 12,000.[4]
In 1979, Begzos left the Spurs to become executive vice president and general manager of the Kansas City Kings.
Later life
After leaving the Kings, Begzos found employment with a Buffalo-based cable television company and moved to Amherst, New York. In 1982 he was pleaded guilty to theft charges stemming from the 1980 sale of his burned Alamo Heights home. Begzos had accepted a down payment from Richard Squires and a note for a future payment of $20,000 plus interest. Begzos sold the note to the Traders Bank of Kansas City but never told Squires, who sent Begzos a check for $22,000 on September 19, 1981. Begzos cashed the check and did not use the money to pay the note. After Squires was approached by the bank for the money, he notified the Bexar County district attorneys office, who charged Begzos with theft over $10,000. Begzos reached a deal that reduced the charges to a misdemeanor after he agreed to give the bank possession of a home he owned in Overland Park, Kansas. He sentenced to one year of probation.[7]
In 1988, Begzos returned to Texas. He resided in Plano and owned a sports bar in Addison. He died on September 1, 2004.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "John Begtzos Jr". The Dallas Moring News. September 3, 2004.
- ^ Putnam, Pat (February 10, 1975). "Cagey Loan to San Antone". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "Coach Dismissed by Spurs: People in Sports". The New York Times. December 14, 1974.
- ^ a b "New GM vows to win games, add fans". Springfield Leader and Press. July 25, 1979.
- ^ Gosselin, Rick (October 30, 1980). "The Kansas City Kings fired General Manager John Begzos". UPI. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "Begzos fired over phony stamp incident". The Kansas City Star. November 8, 1980. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
- ^ "Former Kings Official on Probation for Theft". The Kansas City Star. May 29, 1982.