Now that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski has won his 4th National Title and is quickly gaining ground on his former coach and mentor, Bob Knight’s all-time Division 1 coach’s wins list record(Kryzewski is currently only 34 wins from tying Knight), what better time to put in perspective Coach K’s massive accomplishments.
- By winning title number 4, he ties Kentucky’s legendary coach Adolph Rupp for 2nd all time behind UCLA’s John Wooden’s 10 titles.
- He is also the first coach to win titles in 3 different decades(’91,’92,’01, and ’10).
- He holds the NCAA record for winning percentage in the NCAA Tournament at .778% with a record of 77-22.
- His 11 Final Four appearances tie him with UNC’s Dean Smith for 2nd while closing in on John Wooden’s record 12 Final Fours.
- Krzyzewski’s teams have played more games ranked as the #1 team in the nation(190) than not as #1(144).
In my opinion, Duke’s recent win puts him in the conversation with the all-time great coaches in NCAA mens basketball history like Wooden and Knight. Here is my Top 5 All-Time NCAA Mens Basketball Coaches:
1) John Wooden(’46-’72)
Indiana State, UCLA
10 National Titles
667 Wins
6 time NCAA Coach of the Year
10 National Championships in 12 years
7 Straight Titles
Notable NBA Players: Lew Alcindor, Gail Goodrich, Bill Walton
2) Adolph Rupp(’30-’72)
Kentucky
4 titles, 1 NIT Title(’46)
876 wins
4 time NCAA Coach of the Year
.822% Winning percentage(876-190) ranks 2nd all-time.
20 NCAA Tournament appearances
Notable NBA Players: Pat Riley
3) Dean Smith(’61-’97)
North Carolina
2 Titles
879 Wins
4 time NCAA Coach of the Year
.776% Winning percentage – 9th all-time
11 Final Four Appearances
27 Consecutive 20 win seasons(30 total)
27 NCAA Tournament Appearances
Notable NBA Players: Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Bob McAdoo
4) Bob Knight(’65-’08)
Army, Indiana, Texas Tech
3 Titles
902 Wins
4 Time NCAA Coach of the Year
Most all-time Division 1 Wins
Perfect(32-0) season in 1976
1 of 3 coaches(Smith and Pete Newell) to win NCAA, NIT, Olympic Gold Medal, and Pan-American Gold
Notable NBA Players: Isiah Thomas, Steve Alford, Quinn Buckner
5) Mike Krzyzewski(’75- Present)
Army, Duke
4 Titles
868 Wins
3 Time NCAA Coach of the Year
8 NCAA Title Game Appearances
12 Elite 8 Appearances – 2nd all-time
26 NCAA Tournament Appearances
Notable NBA Players: Elton Brand, Grant Hill, Shane Battier
Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own site, Hoops Haven.
