Lute Olson - Coaching Highlights

Coaching Highlights

• Compiled a 180-76 record (.703) coaching high school basketball

At Long Beach City College

• Three time Metro Conference Coach of the Year (1970, 1971, 1973)
• Led LBCC to three Metro Conference titles (1970, 1971, 1973)
• Led LBCC to California JUCO State Championship (1971)

At Long Beach State University

• PCAA Coach of the Year (1974)
• Western Region Coach of the Year (1974)
• Led Long Beach State to Big West Championship (1974)

At the University of Iowa

• Two time Big Ten Coach of the Year (1979, 1981)
• Led Iowa to Big Ten Championship (1979)
• Led Iowa to NCAA Final Four (1980)
• Led Iowa to 5 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament to finish his career there, a record at the time
• Left Iowa as the winningest coach in school history with a 168-90 record (.651)

At the University of Arizona

• Seven time Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003)
• Led Arizona to 11 Pac-10 championships (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005)
• Led Arizona to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons
• Averaged nearly 25 victories per year in over 20 years at Arizona
• Owns second best winning percentage (.764) in Pac-10 history (327-101), behind John Wooden (.810)
• Has more Pac-10 wins (327) than any other coach in history, including John Wooden, who coached before UCLA joined the modern Pac-10
• Led Arizona to four NCAA Final Four appearances (1988, 1994, 1997, 2001) and one NCAA Championship (1997)
• Arizona's 1997 team is the only one in NCAA history to beat three No. 1 seeds in the same tournament
• While at Arizona, one of only five head coaches in NCAA history to record 26 or more 20-win seasons
• Guided Arizona to 11 NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in 18 years
• Arizona's 25 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (23 under Lute Olson) is the second longest streak in NCAA history (behind North Carolina's 27)
• Initiated as a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity

NCAA tournament records

• Tied for most NCAA tournament appearances with 28
• Third in NCAA tournament games coached with 74
• Fourth in NCAA tournament wins with 46
• Compiled a 25-12 (.676) record in his last 35 NCAA Tournament games
• 28 of his last 29 teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament (23 straight at Arizona and 5 straight at Iowa)

Career records

• One of 8 coaches in collegiate history to coach in five or more Final Fours
• One of 11 coaches who have taken two different teams to the Final Four
• Averaged nearly 23 victories per year in over 30 years of coaching
• Achieved 29 winning seasons in over 30 years of coaching
• In 34 seasons as a Division I head coach, compiled a 781-280 record (.736)

Awards

• U.S. Coach, R. William Jones Cup Champions (1984)
• U.S. Coach, World Championship Gold Medal (1986)
• National Coach of the Year (1988, 1990)
• CBS-TV Coach of the Year (1989)
• USBWA District 8 Coach of the Year (1988, 1993)
• NABC District 15 Coach of the Year (1989, 1993, 1994)
• Basketball Times West Region Coach of the Year (1998)
• Naismith National Coach of the Year Finalist (1998)
• Initiated member of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity (2012)