A History of the Ku Basketball Coaches

The University of Kentucky men’s basketball team has had a long and storied history, with some of the best coaches in the game leading the way. In this blog post, we’ll take a look at the history of the Kentucky Basketball coaches, from the early days up to the present.

Roy Williams

Williams is the current Head Coach of the men’s Basketball team at the University of Kansas a position he has held since 1989. During his time at Kansas, Williams has led the Jayhawks to three National Championships eight Final Fours, and fourteen Big 12 regular season championships. He has also been named National Coach of the Year three times.

Bill Self

Bill Self is the current head coach of the University of Kansas men’s basketball team He is one of four coaches in NCAA Division I history to lead three different teams to a #1 ranking in the AP poll. He has also served as an Assistant Coach for the USA national team.

Larry Brown

Larry Brown coached the Ku Basketball team from 1983 to 1988. He led the team to a regular season record of 52-7 and won the National Championship in 1988. After leaving Ku, he coached several NBA teams including the Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons He is currently the Head Coach of the SMU men’s basketball team

Eddie Sutton

Eddie Sutton was the Head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team from 1989 to 2003. He is one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history, and is one of only four coaches to have taken three different schools to the Final Four.

Sutton began his coaching career at Oklahoma State University where he led the Cowboys to two Final Fours. He then spent seven years at Arkansas, where he led the Razorbacks to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances. In 1988, Sutton returned to Oklahoma State and led the Cowboys to their first Final Four in nearly two decades.

In 1989, Sutton was hired by the University of Kansas to replace Larry Brown, who had left for the NBA. At Kansas, Sutton continued his success, leading the Jayhawks to eleven NCAA Tournament appearances, including five Sweet Sixteens and three Elite Eights. In 1991, Sutton was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

In 2003, amidst allegations of NCAA violations, Sutton resigned from Kansas. He later served as an assistant coach for several NBA Teams before retiring in 2008.

Ted Owens

Ted Owens coached the Jayhawks from 1964 to 1983, leading the team to 12 NCAA tournament appearances. He is the winningest coach in Kansas history, with a record of 295-102. Owens also led the Jayhawks to their first ever NCAA Final Four appearance in 1971.

Jack Hartman

Hartman was born in Dodge City Kansas, and raised in Caney, Kansas. He graduated from Caney High School in 1941. He then attended Coffeyville Community College Coffeyville, Kansas, before transferring to Wichita State University. He played basketball and baseball at Wichita State In basketball, he was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. He graduated from Wichita State in 1947 with a bachelor’s degree in physical education

Norm Stewart

Stewart coached at Ku from 1966 to 1999, and is the winningest coach in school history. He led the Jayhawks to 17 NCAA tournament appearances, including five Final Fours and one National Championship He was also named National Coach of the Year in 1993.

Rick Pitino

Rick Pitino is the head coach of the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team He is also a former head coach of the University of Kentucky Wildcats He has led Kentucky to seven Final Fours appearances, winning the National Championship in 1996. He is the only coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools to a #1 ranking.

Jim Calhoun

Former head coach Jim Calhoun led the team from 1986 to 1996, when he resigned amid several controversies. In his ten years at the helm, the team won one National Championship two conference championships and made six NCAA tournament appearances. Calhoun was known for his hard-nosed coaching style and often engaged in heated exchanges with referees and opposing players. Despite his success on the court, Calhoun’s tenure was marked by several off-the-court problems, including a recruiting scandal that resulted in the team being placed on probation.

John Calipari

John Calipari is an American college basketball coach He is the men’s head basketball coach at Kentucky. Calipari was previously the head coach at the University of Memphis and at the University of Massachusetts. He has also served as an assistant coach in the NBA