'What a man': Rick Carlisle honors the remarkable life and legacy of his father

INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle has spent decades around the game of basketball, but the man who made the greatest impact on his life wasn't an NBA coach or a legendary player. It was his father, Preston C. Carlisle.

On Wednesday, Carlisle shared that his father peacefully passed away on October 4, at the age of 96. He expressed his gratitude to the Pacers organization for allowing him to step away from training camp practice to be by his father's side and say goodbye.

"My dad was 96 years old. He lived an amazing life with an indomitable spirit to live, to compete, to give to people, so generous," Carlisle said. "He never ever complained about anything. Even at the very end he did not complain once."

Carlisle described his father as "the greatest hero of my life."

While Carlisle has accomplished so much throughout his NBA career, he made it clear that none of it would've been possible without the influence of his father.

"The reason I'm here is because of him," Carlisle said.

Preston Carlisle was a legendary recreational basketball player in northern New York, known for his physical style of play and hard fouls. Rick began accompanying his father to pickup basketball games when he was just seven years old, watching him compete against other adults in Ogdensburg.

His father continued playing recreational basketball until he was approximately 55 years old, and he made sure his son had opportunities to compete against older, more experienced players.

"He used to fight to get me in pickup games with the other adult guys in Ogdensburg and it was a little ugly at times --but he knew that that's how young players got better was playing with older guys that were better," Carlisle said.

Those early basketball experiences helped shape the future NBA coach, but they also created lifelong friendships with people from his hometown.

"Those guys ended up being very empathetic and a lot of them are great friends now, that are still around."

But Preston Carlisle's legacy extended far beyond the basketball court.

The opening of Rick Carlisle’s press conference https://t.co/NXVlqgmZ27

Born in the 1930s during the Great Depression, he grew up in a family that had very little financially. Rick recalled a story his father frequently told about receiving an old toy in his Christmas stocking as a young child, an experience that helped shape his determination to build a better life.

"He decided that he was gonna be successful, he was gonne be able to provide," Carlisle said.

His father's journey to becoming a successful attorney was anything but conventional.

Preston attended Fordham University, St. Lawerence University and Iona, but never earned an undergraduate degree. Despite that, he convinced American University Law School to accept him and completed his legal education while serving three years in the Army.

According to Rick, some of his father's favorite stories came from his military service, including tales of nickel-dime poker games and the many shenanigans that took place along the way.

After passing the bar examination on his first attempt, Preston established his law practice in Ogdensburg in 1961.

Carlisle spoke proudly of his father's professional accomplishments, describing him as perhaps the most successful lawyer in the history of Northern New York State. But what stood out the most was how he used that success to help others.

"He just spent his life helping people that needed help," Carlisle said.

From the source #Pacers HC Rick Carlisle announced that his father, Preston, died on Oct. 3 at the age of 96.

“He was the greatest hero of my life.”

Carlisle will not coach Friday’s game at Miami so he can attend his father’s memorial services. Assistant Lloyd Pierce will be the acting HC.

The Carlisle Law Firm continues operating in Ogdensburg today, with Rick's brother serving as one of its partners. The next generation of the family is also pursuing careers in law, providing an opportunity for the legacy Preston built more than six decades ago to continue.

"The firms is going as strong as it ever has", Carlisle said.

He described his father as an agitator rather than a reactor, someone who took initiative, challenged circumstances and found ways to to make things happen.

And while his professional achievements were remarkable, Preston's greatest legacy maybe the family he leaves behind, including 19 grandchildren and 24 great-grandchildren.

Throughout his reflections, Carlisle painted the picture of a man who was determined, generous, competitive and deeply committed to those around him. A a father who fought to get his young son into basketball games with grown men, an attorney who dedicated his career to helping others and a storyteller whose memories will continue to live on through his family.

For Rick Carlisle, the impact of his father is evident in the career he chose, the lessons he learned and the admiration he still carries for the man who helped shape his life.

As he concluded his heartfelt tribute, Carlisle offered a few simple words that perhaps captured his father's remarkable 96 years better than anything else could.

The Pacers head coach will be away from the team on Friday evening to attend his father's celebration of life in Ogdensburg, New York. Assistant head coach Lloyd Pierce will serve as acting head coach when Indiana takes on Miami in NBA Cup action.

"I appreciate Kevin Pritchard and Herb Simon for allowing me the opportunity to get there and facilitate it and get a chance to say goodbye," Carlisle said.