All sports have coaches considered to be legendary. These coaches shape and mold a team into a powerful force. They accumulate win after win, which inspires other teams and coaches to do better. These coaches are defined by their long, successful careers, and there is little doubt they influence the sport indefinitely. There are several such coaches in the Division I Men’s Basketball; coaches who have come to define success in the NCAA.
Adolph Rupp was one of the most famous coaches of them all. He made the University of Kentucky Wildcats’ program into sports most acclaimed programs. He racked up 876 wins between 1930 and 1972, and coached his team to four national titles. Rupp retired at the age of 70, when he reached the mandatory age of retirement in place at UK.
Dean Smith coached his renowned Tar Heels to 870 wins while at North Carolina. Dean’s coaching legacy is one of the most impressive coaching trees basketball has ever seen. His list of ex-players and assistants include the venerable Roy Williams of UNC and Charlotte Bobcat coach Larry Brown.
Bob Knight, also known as “The General” had 902 career wins. While at Indiana, he amassed 661 of those wins. The General is now working for ESPN, providing commentary and analysis.
Though Jim Phelan isn’t very well-known in comparison to some other successful coaches, but he is among the best. He coached at Mount St. Mary’s for 49 seasons, racking up 830 wins. It should be noted that most of the wins were actually Division II wins, where Mount St. Mary’s competed until 1988. According to the NCAA rule book, 10+ years coaching Division I puts standings into the Division I record book.
Eddie Sutton was more of a wanderer than other coaches on our list of influentials. He coached at Oklahoma State, San Francisco, Kentucky, Creighton, and Arkansas. Eddie Sutton’s exciting and busy career saw him accumulate 804 total wins.
Lefty Driesell went from Davidson in the 1960’s on to Maryland, where he had significant basketball success. Though controversy ended his career in College Park, Driesell went on to coach at James Madison and Georgia Southern.
All these coaches have had a significant influence on NCAA basketball. Each in their own way, they define true success in coaching at the collegiate level. Not only have they shaped and altered NCAA coaching, they are proving to leave a lasting legacy in college basketball for years to come.
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