Men's Basketball
Career Years: 1964-1968
B.A. in History
All-WCAC First Team
All-Coast Honorable Mention
Art Wilmore was born March 15, 1946. He played as a guard for the Dons 1964 to 1969 playing in 77 games and averaging 10.4 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 44.4 FG%, and a 75.9 FT%. Wilmore stated that he chose USF because his high school coach had played for the Dons, and the team was second only to UCLA. “I remember the priests taking off their collars and playing some great pick-up games. Fr. Robert Sunderland and Fr. John Loschiavo were two of the best (USF Athletics).” At USF, he earned First Team West Coast Conference honors.
After USF, he was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors in the ninth round of the 1968 NBA Draft (113th overall) but instead served in the United States Army from 1969 to 1971 as a 2nd Lieutenant at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, CA. He played on the Army Basketball Team from 1969 to 1971, and earned the praise of his Head Coach Hal Fischer for his leadership and adept defensive abilities.
While in the service, Wilmore captained two Armed Forces teams that won the AAU Championships in 1970 and in 1971, and he was chosen as the Best Defensive Player in the latter. He played around the world on three different national World Cup Game teams with Julius Erving, Paul Westphal and Bill Walton representing the United States, and was selected as captain of the United States Olympic Development Team. After his discharge from the Army, Wilmore continued his education by securing a Graduate Degree in Secondary Education and earning a Masters in Education from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
Wilmore began his coaching career at Cal Poly, and moved to coach at Atascadero High School in 1974, guiding them to a CIF Championship. In 1980, Wilmore moved to Walla Walla, WA to serve as Head Coach of the Walla Walla Community College. His second year, the team won the first Divisional Championship in ten years and placed second in the NWAC Championship after losing to Tacoma Community College. After nine seasons at Walla Walla, he became an Assistant Coach at the University of Portland from 1989 to 1995.
Wilmore relocated to Southern California and spent ten seasons coaching at Christian Heritage College in El Cajon, CA. His Hawks finished six seasons with 20 wins or more, won two National Christian College Athletic Association Championships (NCCAA) in 1997 and 1998, and went on to the Final Four in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in Tulsa, OK in 2001.
In 2002, he became the Head Coach of the Crusaders at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. The previous year the team had finished 5-27, and under his coaching finished 22-11 and earned a place at the NAIA National Tournament. Wilmore was Head Coach for six years and achieved an overall record of 104-89. His teams reached the NAIA National Tournament twice in 2003 and 2008. He then moved to Associate Head Coach for Men’s and Women’s Tennis Teams, and is an Assistant Athletic Director in charge of Athletic Ministries.
