Burn Out: Coaching NCAA Championship Club Took Toll on More Than Wright
April 22nd, 2022 - 10:32
Much of media was abuzz about Jay Wright stepping down as Villanova's coach at the age of 60 after capturing NCAA Tournament crowns with the Wildcats in 2016 and 2018. But a total of 13 title bench bosses bowed out of coaching when they were younger than Wright. Following is a list of NCAA DI championship coaches who departed profession as college head coach by the age of 60 (including five of the first six titlists from 1939 through 1944):
| Championship Coach | Age | Title Team | Year(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Newell | 44 | California | 1959 |
| Jim Valvano | 44 | North Carolina State | 1983 |
| Kevin Ollie | 47 | Connecticut | 2014 |
| Al McGuire | 48 | Marquette | 1977 |
| Fred Taylor | 51 | Ohio State | 1960 |
| Harold "Bud" Foster | 52 | Wisconsin | 1941 |
| Howard Hobson | 52 | Oregon | 1939 |
| Everett Dean | 53 | Stanford | 1942 |
| Phil Woolpert | 53 | San Francisco | 1955 and 1956 |
| Ken Loeffler | 54 | La Salle | 1954 |
| Joe B. Hall | 56 | Kentucky | 1978 |
| E. "Branch" McCracken | 56 | Indiana | 1940 and 1953 |
| John Thompson Jr. | 57 | Georgetown | 1984 |
| Vadal Peterson | 60 | Utah | 1944 |
| Ed Jucker | 60 | Cincinnati | 1961 and 1962 |
| Nolan Richardson Jr. | 60 | Arkansas | 1994 |
| Jay Wright | 60 | Villanova | 2016 and 2018 |
NOTE: Billy Donovan was 49 when he left Florida (2006 and 2007) for the NBA.