Gregg Popovich

Gregg Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American basketball coach, and is currently the head coach of the National Basketball Association's San Antonio Spurs. With the resignation of Jerry Sloan as head coach of the Utah Jazz on February 10, 2011, Popovich is the longest tenured coach in the NBA and the second longest among the Big Four sports leagues behind St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. He is often referred to as "Coach Pop" or simply "Pop."

From Indiana to the Air Force Academy

Popovich, whose father was of Serbian and mother of Croatian descent, was born in East Chicago, Indiana, went to High School at Merrillville High School and graduated in 1970 from the United States Air Force Academy. He played basketball for four seasons at the Academy, and in his senior year was the team captain and the leading scorer. He graduated with his bachelors degree in Soviet Studies, and he underwent Air Force intelligence gathering and processing training. He even considered a career with the Central Intelligence Agency.

Popovich next served his required five years of active duty in the United States Air Force, during which he toured eastern Europe...
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