NCAA Basketball: Ranking the last 25 national title winning head coaches
By Joey Loose
Heated discussions will be had, but it stands to reason that Mike Krzyzewski might be the most successful head coach in college basketball history. He’s brought remarkable success to Duke, leading the Blue Devils to five national titles during his impressive run.
He possesses the most head coaching wins all time, has coached a long list of successful stars and future coaches and put Duke in the national title conversation every season.
After growing up in Chicago, Krzyzewski played college ball under mentor Bob Knight at Army. He then spent five years serving as an officer in the Army. In 1974, he accepted a job under Knight at Indiana, his first and only assistant coaching position.
The following season, he accepted the chance to take over as head coach at Army. He didn’t lead the Black Knights to the NCAA Tournament, but he did enough to receive national attention.
In 1980, he was selected as Duke’s next head coach, leading to 39 years of incredible progress. It took three years for Krzyzewski to build this program, but they’ve made 35 NCAA Tournaments, including the last 24.
More from March Madness
- March Madness 2023: Sights and sounds from NCAA championship game
- Caitlin Clark breaks silence on Angel Reese trash talk controversy
- Jim Nantz replacement: Who will take over as voice of Final Four in 2024
- Twitter reacts as legendary broadcaster Jim Nantz calls last Final Four game
- Everything to know about Jim Nantz retirement from March Madness
He’s recruited and coached stars like Christian Laettner and Shane Battier, while his five national championships have been surpassed by only John Wooden. He regularly recruits impressive lineups and his coaching tree has sprung several successful branches. His impact on the game has been felt greatly, with incredible success on Tobacco Road.
Whether it’s his 1,132 career wins or his five national titles, Coach K’s accolades measure up. His success in the ACC has been impressive, while he’s also accomplished much coaching the USA’s Olympic team.
He has many times refused NBA offers and has built an impressive legacy at the college level. All in all, Krzyzewski’s work as a teacher, recruiter and in-game coach have been lauded, all on top of a solid military career.
Next. Top 25 recruiting programs of the 2010s. dark
We’ve taken a close look at the last 25 national championship head coaches, looking at the legacies of some of the sport’s most impressive names. Which head coach will join this elusive list next season, or will one of these names bring another title to their programs?