The 2022 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class was announced during the NCAA Final Four festivities on Saturday and among the new list of inductees is West Virginia Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bob Huggins. This announcement was a long time coming for a coach with greater than 900 wins, has taken three different schools to the NCAA Tournament, and has led two different schools to the Final Four. Huggins is 1 of 13 head coaches with 900 or more wins all-time. He is also 1 of only 2 Division One head coaches to have coached two different schools to 300 wins or more. While he no doubt deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, one must wonder why Huggins didn’t get in earlier? That seems to be the million dollar question. I don’t know a single person, who calls themselves an avid fan of the game, that would dispute his resume as being Hall of Fame worthy. So, whatever the reason or reasons were for keeping him out of the Hall in the past, isn’t relevant anymore because he finally made it.
Bob Huggins began his head coaching career at Walsh College ahead of the 1980/81 season. His team went 14-16 in his first season. The following season, Walsh College qualified for the NAIA District 22 playoffs, but lost in the first round. In his final season at Walsh, Huggins led the Cavaliers to a 34-1 record and led them to a NAIA District 22 Championship, but then lost in the first round of the 1983 NAIA Tournament. Huggins left Walsh College after the 1982/83 season with a record of 71-26. He later took the head coaching position at Akron.
Bob Huggins was hired by the University of Akron ahead of the 1984/85 season. The Zips finished with just 12 wins in his first season. In the next four seasons, the Zips would win at least 20 games each season. The Zips made the NCAA Tournament in the 1985/86 season, but lost in the first round to Michigan. In the 1988/89 season, Huggins’ last year, the Zips won 21 games, but they did not make the NCAA Tournament. He finished with a 97-46 record. He was then offered the head coaching job at Cincinnati, which he chose to accept.
Bob Huggins took over as head coach at Cincinnati ahead of the 1989/90 season. In the 1991/92 season, Huggins coached the Bearcats to the Final Four. This became the 2nd Division One school that he led to the NCAA Tournament and the 1st time he led a school to the Final Four. Huggins led the Bearcats to the Elite Eight in the 1992/93 season and the 1995/96 season. The Bearcats finished 1st in the conference 10 times throughout Huggins’ tenure with the team. He left at the conclusion of the 2005/06 season after the Bearcats lost in the round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. Huggins finished his tenure with the Bearcats with a 399-127 record. He took a year off from coaching before accepting the Head Coaching position at Kansas State.
Huggins spent the 2006/07 season as head coach at Kansas State. The Wildcats went 23-12 and lost in the second round of the NIT.
Bob Huggins is currently the Head Coach at the University of West Virginia. His first season was the 2007/08 season. Huggins led West Virginia to the Final Four in the 2009/10 season. The Mountaineers suffered a heavy defeat to eventual National Champion Duke in their Final Four Game. West Virginia became the second school that Huggins would lead to the Final Four. The Mountaineers have missed the NCAA Tournament only 4 times in Huggins’ tenure. This includes a dismal 2021/22 season where the Mountaineers went 16-17 overall and 4-14 in conference play. West Virginia is 326-188 under Bob Huggins so far. During his tenure at the school, Huggins became the second Division One head coach to win 300 or more games at two different schools. He also joined an elite list of 13 head coaches to have won 900 or more games all-time. Included on that list are Hall of Fame head coaches Jim Boeheim, Coach K (winningest head coach among all levels of college basketball for men and women), Jim Calhoun, Roy William, Bob Knight, and Herb Magee.
Bob Huggins will be joined in the Hall of Fame with Manu Ginobili, Tim Hardaway, George Karl, Hugh Evans, Lindsay Whalen, Swin Cash, Marianne Stanley, Lou Hudson (posthumously), Larry Costello (posthumously), Del Harris, Theresa Shank-Grentz, and Radivoj Korac (posthumously). The Enshrinement Ceremony will be September 9-10 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
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