Mike Krzyzewski, who’s been the head men’s basketball coach at Duke since 1980, will retire following the upcoming 2021-22 season, the school confirmed several hours after multiple media outlets reported the news Wednesday.
“Simply put, Mike Krzyzewski’s legacy — never to be repeated again — is truly mindboggling,” Duke vice president and athletic director Kevin White said in a statement. “To suggest that Mike has more than earned the ‘GOAT’ mantle within the coaching community, both domestically and globally, is perhaps the greatest understatement of all time.”
What Mike Krzyzewski has accomplished at Duke
Krzyzewski’s resume is impressive:
- He has led the Blue Devils to a 1,097-302 record and has gone 1,170-361 as a college head coach, including five years at Army.
- He’s been named the Naismith College Coach of the Year three times.
- He’s led the Blue Devils to five NCAA national championships, the last coming in 2015.
- Duke has reached the Final Four 12 times under Krzyzewski.
- Duke has made it to the NCAA Tournament every year but five under Krzyzewski, including last season when the Blue Devils missed for the first time since 1994-95.
- Krzyzewski’s best NCAA Tournament run came during a nine-year stretch from 1997-2006, when Duke advanced to at least the Sweet 16 every year and made three Final Four appearances, with one national title (2000-01) and a runner-up finish.
- Krzyzewski was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
- He has served as the U.S. men’s basketball national team coach on several occasions, leading the team to gold in three straight Olympics.
Krzyzewski on retiring
Krzyzewski expressed his gratitude for the people he’s met through his associations as a head coach.
“My family and I view today as a celebration,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “Our time at both West Point and Duke has been beyond amazing and we are thankful and honored to have led two college programs at world-class institutions for more than four decades. That, coupled with 11 unforgettable years as the United States National Team coach, has resulted in a remarkable journey.
“Certainly, I have been blessed to coach some of the finest young men and greatest players in basketball history as a direct result of these unique opportunities. For us, there is no greater joy than being part of our players’ respective endeavors through basketball, and more importantly, their lives off the court. Our family is eternally grateful to everyone who contributed to our career for the past 46 years. So, to the countless members of our extended family, thank you very much.”
Who’s his replacement?
Stadium’s Jeff Goodman first reported who will replace the iconic college basketball coach following this season: 33-year-old former Duke player Jon Scheyer, who played for Krzyzewski from 2006-10. Scheyer has been at Duke as an assistant since 2014 and the associate head coach since 2018.
“Duke University has been a central part of my life for more than a decade, and I could not ask for a better place to continue my career,” Scheyer said in a statement. “This is absolutely humbling. First, I offer extreme gratitude to the greatest coach of all time whose career is unrivaled in basketball. Coach K has built the premier program in our sport thanks to his unwavering competitive edge, a tireless attention to detail, a family-first approach and a remarkable compassion and care of his players, coaches, and staff. He has set a standard that every coach at every level should strive to achieve.”