Charlie Harrison (basketball)

Charles Dunn Harrison (August 17, 1949 – April 13, 2020) was an American college basketball coach who served as head coach at the University of New Mexico and East Carolina University.

Career
A graduate of Guilford College, Harrison began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for Bob Knight at Indiana. He then held assistant positions with Clemson, Oklahoma and the National Basketball Association's Buffalo Braves.

In 1979, following a second stint at Oklahoma, Harrison was hired as an assistant at New Mexico under head coach Norm Ellenberger. However, right before the team’s season opener Ellenberger was suspended and later fired following the revelation of an academic fraud scandal nicknamed “Lobogate.” Harrison was tapped as the new head coach and led the depleted team to a 6–22 record. Following the season he was replaced by the more seasoned Gary Colson.

After a two-year stint as an assistant at Iowa State under Johnny Orr, Harrison was named head coach at East Carolina (ECU). He led the Pirates for five seasons, compiling a record of 51–90. In January, 1987, Harrison announced he would step down from ECU at the close of the season.

Harrison died on April 13, 2020, at age 70.