Lost in Shuffle: Limelight of Legends Completely Obscures Predecessors
A total of 40 current NCAA Division I schools feature all-time winningest coaches boasting in excess of 400 triumphs. The length of tenure necessary to win so many games makes it almost impossible to remember their predecessors. Anyone who can name 1/4 of the mentors they succeeded goes straight to the Trivia Hall of Fame.
Billy Donovan's departure from Florida triggered a question as to what other individuals are completely overshadowed after being succeeded by a coaching legend. Donovan combined with fellow record holders Phog Allen, Dale Brown, Gale Catlett, Denny Crum, Ed Diddle, Hec Edmundson, Jack Friel, Don Haskins, Lou Henson, Hank Iba, Frank Keaney, Bob Knight, Bob McKillop, Ray Meyer, Lute Olson, Alex Severance, Norm Stewart, Bob Thomason, John Thompson Jr., Gary Williams, John Wooden and Ned Wulk for more than 12,500 victories at their respective schools where they established new standards. Who would have thought such achievements were in store after their predecessors collaborated to go more than 300 games below .500 over a collective 100-plus seasons.
One of the predecessor names in particular should surprise you. Incredibly, the only one of Kansas' 10 head coaches with a career losing record is the inventor of the sport (Dr. James Naismith). Naismith is among the following coaches who were succeeded by individuals posting more than 400 wins to become the all-time winningest mentor at the same institution:
| School | All-Time Winningest Coach | Predecessor (W-L Record During Tenure) |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Lute Olson (590 victories) | Ben Lindsey (4-25 in 1982-83) |
| Arizona State | Ned Wulk (405) | Bill Kajikawa (88-137 from 1948-49 through 1956-57) |
| Butler | Tony Hinkle (549) | Harlan O. "Pat" Page (94-29 from 1920-21 through 1925-26) |
| California | Clarence "Nibs" Price (449) | Earl Wright (60-20 from 1920-21 through 1923-24) |
| Connecticut | Jim Calhoun (626) | Dom Perno (139-114 from 1977-78 through 1985-86) |
| Davidson | Bob McKillop (495) | Bobby Hussey (107-126 from 1981-82 through 1988-89) |
| Dayton | Don Donoher (437) | Tom Blackburn (352-141 from 1947-48 through 1963-64) |
| DePaul | Ray Meyer (724) | Bill Wendt (23-20 in 1940-41 and 1941-42) |
| Duke | Mike Krzyzewski (945) | Bill E. Foster (113-64 from 1974-75 through 1979-80) |
| Florida | Billy Donovan (467) | Lon Kruger (104-80 from 1990-91 through 1995-96) |
| Georgetown | John Thompson Jr. (596) | Jack Magee (69-80 from 1966-67 through 1971-72) |
| Houston | Guy Lewis (592) | Alden Pasche (135-116 from 1945-46 through 1955-56) |
| Illinois | Lou Henson (421) | Gene Bartow (8-18 in 1974-75) |
| Indiana | Bob Knight (659) | Lou Watson (62-60 from 1965-66 through 1968-69 and 1970-71) |
| Kansas | Phog Allen (590) | Dr. James Naismith (55-60 from 1899 through 1907) |
| Kentucky | Adolph Rupp (875) | John Mauer (40-14 from 1927-28 through 1929-30) |
| Louisiana State | Dale Brown (448) | Press Maravich (76-86 from 1966-67 through 1971-72) |
| Louisville | Denny Crum (675) | Howard Stacey (12-8 in 1970-71) |
| Maryland | Gary Williams (461) | Bob Wade (36-50 from 1986-87 through 1988-89) |
| Missouri | Norm Stewart (634) | Bob Vanatta (42-80 from 1962-63 through 1966-67) |
| Niagara | Taps Gallagher (465) | Bill McCarthy (44-35 from 1927-28 through 1930-31) |
| North Carolina | Dean Smith (879) | Frank McGuire (164-58 from 1952-53 through 1960-61) |
| Oklahoma State | Hank Iba (655) | Harold James (13-41 from 1931-32 through 1933-34) |
| Oregon State | Slats Gill (599) | Robert Hager (115-53 from 1922-23 through 1927-28) |
| Pacific | Bob Thomason (414) | Tom O'Neill (51-110 from 1982-83 through 1987-88) |
| Princeton | Pete Carril (514) | Butch van Breda Kolff (103-31 from 1962-63 through 1966-67) |
| Purdue | Gene Keady (512) | Lee Rose (50-18 in 1978-79 and 1979-80) |
| Rhode Island | Frank Keaney (403) | Fred Murray (9-8 in 1920-21) |
| St. John's | Lou Carnesecca* (526) | Frank Mulzoff (56-27 from 1970-71 through 1972-73) |
| Syracuse | Jim Boeheim (965) | Roy Danforth (148-71 from 1968-69 through 1975-76) |
| Temple | John Chaney (516) | Don Casey (151-94 from 1973-74 through 1981-82) |
| Texas A&M | Shelby Metcalf (438) | Bobby Rogers (92-52 from 1957-58 through 1962-63) |
| Texas-El Paso | Don Haskins (719) | Harold Davis (18-30 in 1959-60 and 1960-61) |
| UCLA | John Wooden (620) | Wilbur Johns (93-120 from 1939-40 through 1947-48) |
| UNLV | Jerry Tarkanian (509) | John Bayer (44-36 from 1970-71 through 1972-73) |
| Villanova | Alex Severance (413) | Doc Jacobs (62-56 from 1929-30 through 1935-36) |
| Washington | Hec Edmundson (488) | Stub Allison (7-8 in 1919-20) |
| Washington State | Jack Friel (495) | Karl Schlademan (18-27 in 1926-27 and 1927-28) |
| West Virginia | Gale Catlett (439) | Joedy Gardner (59-53 from 1974-75 through 1977-78) |
| Western Kentucky | Ed Diddle (759) | L.T. Smith (3-1 in 1922) |
*Carnesecca succeeded Joe Lapchick when he served his first stint with St. John's from 1965-66 through 1969-70