Early Years and Playing Career
Krzyzewski was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Polish American parents Emily M. (née Pituch) and William Krzyzewski. He has roots in the Pittsburgh area, as his maternal grandparents emigrated from Poland to Keisterville, Pennsylvania. Up until he was 10 or 12, he visited there every summer; Krzyzewski had stated that he suspects the purpose of such trips was to "teach you to know where you came from and to be proud of it."
Raised as a Catholic, Krzyzewski attended Archbishop Weber High School in Chicago, a Catholic prep school for boys. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, in 1969, and played basketball under Bob Knight while training to become an officer in the Army. He was captain of the Army basketball team in his senior season, 1968–69, leading his team to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
From 1969 to 1974, Krzyzewski served in the Army and directed service teams for three years. In 2005 he was presented West Point's Distinguished Graduate Award.
Read more about this topic: Mike Krzyzewski
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