6. Dana Altman (Oregon)
Now among the elder statesmen in college coaching, Altman was already a junior college head coach way back in 1982 and has more than three decades of D1 head coaching experience. He had success leading both Marshall and Kansas State before a riveting 16-year run at Creighton in his native Nebraska. In 2010, Altman took the leap and landed at Oregon and has made plenty of waves over these 16 years.
The clear highlight is taking the Ducks to the Final Four in 2017 but let’s not pretend that’s Altman’s only notable moment. He’s won a ton of games and several Pac-12 titles and led Oregon on fifteen straight 20-win seasons. Unfortunately, that streak broke with a devastating 12-20 finish last season, limping to just 15th place in the Big Ten.
We’re considering the entire body of work here as it’s easy to scoff after a real struggle for the Ducks. However, even in what’s likely the final years of his coaching career, Altman has brought real talent to Eugene and should have the Ducks back in competitive shape soon. After all, this team did win 25 games and reach the Big Dance in their debut as Big Ten members.
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