Since 1980, Mike Krzyzewski (or simple Coach K) has been coaching the Duke Blue Devils. Before taking over at Duke, Coach K was the head coach at the Army for five seasons where he compiled an overall record of 73-59. However, it was with the Blue Devils that his name started to turn heads. He touched countless lives of student-athletes and made his name one of the most popular ever in the world of coaching. Even those he recruited — who eventually elected to play elsewhere — know the impact he can make on a life. He has been an inspiration for multiple generations and now it’s time for him to hang it up.
Prior to the 2021-2022 season starting, Coach K announced he would be retiring. Unfortunately, though, the perfect storyline couldn’t be completed with a National Championship for Duke. His Blue Devils fell short to North Carolina 81-77 in the Final Four, ending his career with 1,202 total wins. Despite the loss, he still leaves the game with the most wins ever by a Division I Men’s basketball coach with an overall record of 1,202-368.
In his 42 years of coaching at Duke, he has coached 24 All-Americans including Paolo Banchero, R.J. Barrett, Zion Williamson, Marvin Bagley, J.J. Redick, Jay Williams, Grant Hill, Christian Laettner, and Johnny Dawkins to name a few.
Now with his career over, we tip our hats to Coach K for a career thousands hope to have. His legacy will live on and with associate head coach Jon Scheyer taking over at Duke, we know he will continue to drop nuggets of information he learned from Coach K.
Congratulations Coach K on your career!
List of Coach K’s accomplishments:
Naismith Hall of Fame coach (inducted in 2001)
5x national champion at Duke (6 if they win)
6x-time gold medalist as head Coach of the US Men’s National Team
5x ACC Coach of the Year (1984, 1986, 1997, 1999, 2000)
8x National Coach of the Year (1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001)
Basketball Times Coach of the Year (1985-86)
CBS Coach of the Year (1985-86/1999-00)
United Press International Coach of the Year (1985-86)
Naismith Coach of the Year (1988-89/1991-92/1998-99)
NABC Coach of the Year (1990-91)
TSN Coach of the Year (1991-92)
Basketball Times Coach of the Year (1996-97)
NABC Coach of the Year (1998-99)
