After 26 seasons as head coach for the University of Connecticut Huskies, Jim Calhoun announced his retirement from college basketball on Thursday–less than two years after leading the team to their third National Championship.
When looking at everything Calhoun has accomplished throughout his career, there’s no question Calhoun will go down as one of the greatest coaches of all time when it comes to college basketball. Along with his three championships, Calhoun led the Huskies to 10 Big East regular season championships and seven Big East tournament titles during his 26-year tenure.
On top of these accomplishments, Calhoun reached the NCAA Tournament 18 times with four trips to the Final Four. Calhoun has also been responsible for the development of numerous key NBA players—including Ray Allen and Richard Hamilton.
At 70, this seems like the perfect opportunity for Calhoun to call it a career considering he fractured his hip last month and UConn is ineligible for the upcoming 2013 NCAA tournament. Calhoun ranks sixth all time with 873 career wins in his 40 years of coaching. As devastating as this news may be for UConn and their fans, it’s comforting to know the legacy Calhoun leaves behind for the Huskies as a program.
Of the three National Championships won by Calhoun as coach of the Huskies, the most impressive run may have been during the 1998-99 season when the Huskies finished 34-2 and pulled off the upset over the Duke Blue Devils in the championship game.
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