Dana Kirk Dies

Updated: February 16, 2010, 12:40 AM ET

Report: Dana Kirk dies suddenly

ESPN.com news services

Dana Kirk, who coached Memphis State to the 1985 Final Four and five consecutive 20-win seasons, died Monday from a heart attack, the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported.

The newspaper said Kirk's death was confirmed by a family spokesman.

Kirk won 158 games in seven seasons. After reaching the Final Four, the Tigers won 28 games the following season but Kirk was fired just before he was indicted for income tax evasion. Kirk served four months of a one-year prison sentence.

Around that time, Memphis State was found guilty of NCAA violations on Kirk's watch, which led to the university being forced to vacate its Final Four appearance.

Kirk arrived at Memphis State in 1979 and turned a struggling basketball program into a national contender. The Tigers were briefly ranked No. 1 in 1983.

"He did a magnificent job and was a great coach and helped create the image of Tiger basketball," Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson told the Commercial Appeal on Monday. Johnson said he would run into Kirk from time to time in recent years.

"He always talked Tiger basketball right to the end," Johnson told the newspaper. "I still had some of our boosters that think he walked on water. He had a strong following."