On Wednesday June 2nd, the college basketball world was sent into shock as Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, commonly known by his nickname Coach K, announced his retirement. Retirement was inevitable for the 74-year-old coach, but prior to Wednesday, there was no clear timetable for his retirement, as Coach K always maintained that “when the time is right, I’ll retire quietly,” but a coach of his stature can’t retire quietly. When Coach K made his announcement, he not only informed us of his retirement, but he also said when he’ll step away. Coach K will stay on until the end of the 2021/22 season, so Duke fans won’t have to worry. They’ll get one last chance to see the beloved coach in action.
Prior to coaching, Mike Krzyzewski was accepted into the Military Academy at West Point. While at West Point, he played college basketball from 1966 to 1969. Bob Knight was his coach. After college, Krzyzewski served as an officer in the army from 1969-1974 and earned the rank of Captain. After being discharged in 1974, he turned his attention to coaching.
Coach K began his coaching career as an assistant to Bob Knight’s Indiana team during the 1974/75 season before returning to his alma mater to take over head coaching duties at the Military Academy in West Point. In the 1975/76 season, Coach K’s first year back at West Point, the Army Cadets finished 11-14. Coach K then produced three straight winning seasons before a dismal 1979/80 season that had the Army Cadets finishing 9-17. West Point went 73-59 in five seasons under the direction of Coach K with one NIT Tournament appearance.
After departing from West Point, Coach K was hired to take over as Head Coach for the Duke Blue Devils ahead of the 1980/81 season. The Blue Devils would finish 17-13 (6-8 in ACC play) in his first season and advanced to the NIT Quarter-finals. It wasn’t until the 1983/84 season that Coach K would lead the Blue Devils to the NCAA Tournament, and they wouldn’t make the National Championship Game until the 1985/86 season where they finished runner-up to the eventual champion Louisville Cardinals. The Blue Devils would finish runner-up again in the 1989/90 season, and would eventually break through to win back-to-back National Championships in the 1990/91 and 1991/92 seasons. Duke has remained one of the most premier Division-One programs in the country every year since those first two championships. In the total 41 seasons with the Duke Blue Devils, Coach K has led the program to 5 National Championships, 12 Final Fours, 15 ACC Tournament titles, and 12 ACC regular season titles. Coach K also has 1,170 wins as a head coach, which is a record for most wins for a college head coach, male or female, and across all levels of college basketball.
In addition to his success coaching college basketball, Coach K was also in charge of Team USA basketball. As head coach, Coach K led the team to Gold Medal victories in the 2008, 2012, and 2016 Summer Olympics, and FIBA Championships in 2010 and 2014. Team USA went 75-1 under his leadership.
When it comes to coaching, Coach K doesn’t have anything left to prove. He’ll be able to use the 2021/22 season as a victory lap, and he’ll receive a proper send-off from the fans in what should be a packed Cameron Indoor Arena, after last season was played in an empty arena, with a ghost town atmosphere, due to the pandemic.
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