Juwan and Only: NCAA Tourney Coaching Records For Former All-Americans
A modest total of 13 individuals have emerged victorious as both an All-American player and head coach in NCAA Tournament competition. Michigan's Juwan Howard is the only one of them to compile winning NCAA tourney records at least two games above .500 in each category. Howard, joining Memphis' Penny Hardaway and Indiana's Mike Woodson as former All-Americans coaching their alma mater in the 2022 NCAA playoffs, advanced to a Sweet 16 for the second straight season.
Indiana's Branch McCracken, who directed the Hoosiers to NCAA tourney titles in 1940 and 1953, is the only one of the first 65 All-Americans becoming major-college mentors to finish his coaching career compiling a higher winning percentage as coach. But McCracken and Whitey Baccus, Tom Churchill, Jack Gray, Moose Krause plus John Wooden were A-As before the NCAA Tournament was introduced in 1939. A total of 42 All-Americans who became major-college coaches either did not play or coach in NCAA playoffs. Following is an alphabetical list of the 23 individuals participating in national tourney as an All-American player and bench boss (nine of them guiding their alma mater):
| All-American/Tourney Coach | Playoff Record as Player | Playoff Record as Head Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Steve Alford | 8-2 with Indiana | 11-11 with Missouri State, Iowa, New Mexico and UCLA |
| Tommy Amaker | 8-4 with Duke | 4-5 with Seton Hall and Harvard |
| Alfred "Butch" Beard | 1-3 with Louisville | 0-1 with Howard University |
| Henry Bibby | 12-0 with UCLA | 3-3 with Southern California |
| Jimmy Collins | 7-4 with New Mexico State | 0-3 with Illinois-Chicago |
| Bob Cousy | 5-1 with Holy Cross | 2-2 with Boston College |
| Howie Dallmar | 3-0 with Stanford | 1-1 with Penn |
| Johnny Dawkins | 6-3 with Duke | 3-2 with Stanford and UCF |
| Patrick Ewing | 15-3 with Georgetown | 0-1 with Georgetown |
| Larry Finch | 3-1 with Memphis State | 6-6 with Memphis State |
| Sidney Green | 0-1 with UNLV | 0-1 with Florida Atlantic |
| Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway | 1-1 with Memphis State | 1-1 with Memphis |
| Clem Haskins | 2-2 with Western Kentucky | 11-8 with Western Kentucky and Minnesota |
| Walt Hazzard | 6-4 with UCLA | 1-1 with UCLA |
| Juwan Howard | 13-3 with Michigan | 5-2 with Michigan |
| Bobby Hurley Jr. | 18-2 with Duke | 1-3 with Buffalo and Arizona State |
| Danny Manning | 13-3 with Kansas | 0-2 with Tulsa and Wake Forest |
| Chris Mullin | 6-4 with St. John's | 0-1 with St. John's |
| Jeff Mullins | 6-2 with Duke | 0-3 with UNC Charlotte |
| Jeff Ruland | 1-2 with Iona | 0-3 with Iona |
| John Shumate | 2-1 with Notre Dame | 0-1 with Southern Methodist |
| John Thompson Jr. | 0-1 with Providence | 34-19 with Georgetown |
| Mike Woodson | 2-2 with Indiana | 1-1 with Indiana |