Willem "Butch" van Breda Kolff

Alma Mater: 
Class of: 
Hometown: 
Montclair, NJ
  • USBWA national coach of the year in 1965
  • Directed Princeton to a third-place finish in 1965 NCAA Tournament
  • Won 1994 ECC Tournament championship with Hofstra
  • Hofstra's all-time winningest coach
  • Compiled a 266-253 NBA coaching record (.513) with the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Jazz in nine seasons from 1967-68 to 1976-77. Posted a 24-60 record (.286) with the Memphis Tams in one ABA season in 1973-74
  • Averaged 4.7 ppg with the New York Knicks in four NBA seasons from 1946-47 through 1949-50
  • Final Division I Top 20 Rankings (one)--1967 (5/5)
  • Final Division II Top 10 Rankings (two)--1961 (6) and 1962 (10)
  • Major-College All-Americans (two): Princeton's Bill Bradley (1963 through 1965) and Chris Thomforde (1967).
Record: 

Season

School

Overall

League

Finish

Conference (Division)

Postseason (Record)

1951-52

Lafayette

15-9

3-0

1st

Middle Three

DNP

1952-53

Lafayette

13-12

DNP

1953-54

Lafayette

17-10

DNP

1954-55

Lafayette

23-3

NIT (0-1)

1955-56

Hofstra

22-4

DNP

1956-57

Hofstra

11-15

DNP

1957-58

Hofstra

15-8

8-3

4th

MASCC (Northern)

DNP

1958-59

Hofstra

20-7

9-1

T-1st

MAC (Northern)

DII (1-1)

1959-60

Hofstra

23-1

9-1

2nd

MAC (Northern)

DNP

1960-61

Hofstra

21-4

10-1

2nd

MAC (Northern)

DNP

1961-62

Hofstra

24-4

8-2

2nd

MAC (Northern)

DII (1-1)

1962-63

Princeton

19-6

12-3

1st

Ivy League

NCAA (0-1)

1963-64

Princeton

20-9

12-2

1st

Ivy League

NCAA (1-2)

1964-65

Princeton

23-6

13-1

1st

Ivy League

NCAA (4-1)

1965-66

Princeton

16-7

9-5

4th

Ivy League

DNP

1966-67

Princeton

25-3

13-1

1st

Ivy League

NCAA (2-1)

1977-78

New Orleans

21-6

8-2

2nd

Sun Belt

DNP

1978-79

New Orleans

11-16

3-7

5th

Sun Belt

DNP

1984-85

Lafayette

15-13

8-6

T-2nd

ECC

DNP

1985-86

Lafayette

14-15

8-6

T-3rd

ECC

DNP

1986-87

Lafayette

16-13

10-4

2nd

ECC

DNP

1987-88

Lafayette

19-10

11-3

1st

ECC

DNP

1988-89

Hofstra

14-15

7-7

T-4th

ECC

DNP

1989-90

Hofstra

13-15

8-6

T-1st

ECC

DNP

1990-91

Hofstra

14-14

7-5

T-3rd

ECC

DNP

1991-92

Hofstra

20-9

10-2

1st

ECC

DNP

1992-93

Hofstra

9-18

DNP

1993-94

Hofstra

9-20

1-4

5th

ECC

DNP