Coach K. Via Wikipedia.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 11, 2022 | Duke University basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is basking in honors these days, as he nears the end of his meteoric career. He is worthily being recognized for being the best college basketball coach ever, as evidenced by his record 1,196 victories … and still counting as the team enters the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament this week.
Many basketball fans across the country saw him lose his last game at Cameron Indoor Stadium to North Carolina last week. Then most of these fans stayed glued to the television screen as the University heaped honors on Krzyzewski. Through it all, Coach K was resolute, cheered on by many of his star athletes of the past in attendance, and by the every-seat-taken in that bastion of basketball called Cameron.
For those of you not following basketball, Coach K’s background includes college at the U.S. Military Academy, including playing basketball as a point guard for famed Army Coach Bobby Knight. After graduation and marriage, he served his time in the U.S. Army before going into coaching as an assistant to Knight for one year, at Indiana University.
Krzyzewski then became the coach at his old “stomping” grounds at the U.S. Military Academy, and in five seasons, he compiled a record of 73-59, taking one team to the National Invitational Tournament.
Butters
Next came two rungs on his record that are mighty significant. First Duke University Athletic Director Tom Butters, in spite of Krzyzewski’s mediocre record at Army, hired the young Coach K as the Duke basketball coach. His team’s record for the next three years was unimpressive, scoring in 1980-81 a total 17 victories, but 13 losses. And the next two years his record was worse, 10-17, followed by 11-17.
All totaled, his first three years at Duke found Coach K with a 38-47 record. Duke fans were squealing, disappointed by the lack of a consistent winning record.
The second rung was Tom Butters’ faith in Coach K. He stuck with him during these first three years. Without the solid backing of Butters, Coach K would never have achieved what he has done since then.
Butters himself was a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan, and a former pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He joined the Duke staff in 1967 as director of special events, and also coached the baseball team for three years before founding the Iron Duke Fund and becoming athletic director in 1977. Three years later, he brought Krzyzewski to Duke.
Coach Butters died in 2016, but lived to see Krzyzewski achieve tremendous success at Duke. No doubt he saw something in Krzyzewski that gave him the confidence to hire Coach K, then back him in the early years. That factor may have been the discipline that Krzyzewski learned as a cadet at West Point, then later honed when serving in the military. Krzyzewski’s record as a coach at Army could not have been the deciding factor in his hiring, since it was unexceptional at 73-59 (.553).
As of today, Coach K’s record is 1,196 victories, 366 defeats, for an overall winning percentage of .766. And yes, he’s still coaching as his team is in the ACC tournament this week, and no doubt have a seeding in the NCAA tournament as a top team.
So, yes, hats off for the significant achievements of Mike Krzyzewski. But we also must remember Tom Butters, who showed his faith in his young basketball coach. He allowed Coach K to continue coaching for a fourth season, where he was 24-10 in 1983-84, and went to his first NCAA tournament….and many more after that.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Follow Us