Ranking the NCAA Champion coaches of the past 50 years

 

Photo: public domain

Jim Boeheim has retired as head coach of the Syracuse University men's basketball team. He is second in all-time career wins in the NCAA's Division I, with one national championship and five Final Fours in 47 seasons.

It's the third year in a row that one of the biggest names in the sport has retired, following Mike Krzyzewski (2022) and Roy Williams (2021). But I never felt Boeheim was in their class.

I wondered how he stacks up among coaches in the modern era. I limited myself to coaches who have won the NCAA Tournament in the last 50 seasons, so coaches like Gonzaga's Mark Few and West Virginia's Bob Huggins aren't considered. 

I considered the coach's total number of national championships and Final Four appearances.  

Here are the totals. Asterisks indicate fewer than 500 career games won. Among coaches with the same number, I ranked those with more national championships ahead: a coach with four Final Fours and two titles ranks ahead of a coach with five Final Fours and one title. When there's still a tie, the coach with a higher career-winning percentage is ranked higher.

1. John Wooden 22

2. Mike Krzyzewski 18

3. Dean Smith 13

4. Roy Williams 12

5. Tom Izzo 9

6. Bob Knight 8

7. Denny Crum 8

8. Jim Calhoun 7

9. Rick Pitino 7

10. John Calipari 7

11. Bill Self 6

12. Billy Donovan 6

13. Jay Wright 6

14. Lute Olson 6

15. Jim Boeheim 6

16. Jerry Tarkanian 5

17. Larry Brown 4 *

18. Joe B. Hall 4*

19. John Thompson 4

20. Nolan Richardson 4

21. Steve Fisher 4 *

22. Al McGuire 3 *

23. Gary Williams 3

24. Tony Bennett 2*

25. Jim Harrick 2*

26. Scott Drew 2*

27. Rollie Massimino 2

28. Tubby Smith 2

29. Jim Valvano 2*

30. Kevin Ollie 2*

31. Norm Sloan 2 

32. Jud Heathcoate 2*

Among the top 15, only Calipari and Izzoi join Boeheim with just one national championship, and they have more Final Fours in 17-20 fewer years of coaching. Only Wright and Calhoun have lower career-winning percentages. 

I commend Boeheim for coaching good teams for a long time. But he isn't an all-time great.

James Leroy Wilson writes The MVP Chase (subscribe) and JL Cells (subscribe) and thanks you for your subscriptions and support! You may contact James for your writing, editing, and research needs: jamesleroywilson-at-gmail.com.