Who are the winningest NCAA men's basketball coaches?

ByAlex Kennedy ESPN logo
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

With March Madnessfiring up, let's take a look at which head coaches have won the most national championships in men's NCAA tournament history.

JOHN WOODEN, 10 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Wooden is widely regarded as the greatest college basketball coach, guidingUCLAto 10 championships in 12 years, including seven in a row."The Wizard of Westwood" lifted UCLA from a struggling program to an unbeatable juggernaut. Wooden was a five-time AP College Coach of the Year (1967, 1969, 1970, 1972 and 1973) and six-time winner of the Henry Iba Award (1964, 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973). He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame twice (as a player in 1960 and as a coach in 1973) as well as the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, 5 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Krzyzewski led Duketo five national titles (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015) and 13 Final Four appearances. Krzyzewski was named the Naismith Coach of the Year three times (1989, 1992 and 1999) and won the ACC Coach of the Year award five times (1984, 1986, 1997, 1999 and 2000). He also coached Team USA to three Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012 and 2016). Krzyzewski was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

ADOLPH RUPP, 4 CHAMPIONSHIPS

After coaching high school basketball for four years, Rupp took over as Kentucky's head coach in 1930. Over the next 41 seasons, he became one of the best coaches in college basketball, leading the Wildcats to four NCAA crowns (1948, 1949, 1951 and 1958) and six Final Four appearances. Rupp was named the National Coach of the Year five times (1950, 1954, 1959, 1966 and 1970) and SEC Coach of the Year seven times (1964, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1972). He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1969 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

JIM CALHOUN, 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS

From 1986 to 2012, UConnwas a perennial contender behind Calhoun, winning three national championships (1999, 2004 and 2011) and making four Final Four appearances. Calhoun is the fourth-winningest coach in Division I history. He was named the AP Coach of the Year in 1990, earned four Big East Coach of the Year awards (1990, 1994, 1996 and 1998) and won the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2005. He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2005 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

BOB KNIGHT, 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Best known for his short fuse and volatile nature, Knight was one of college basketball's most accomplished coaches. He has the sixth-most wins in Division I and led Indiana to three national championships (1976, 1981 and 1987) and five Final Four appearances. Knight was a three-time AP Coach of the Year (1975, 1976 and 1989) and two-time winner of the Henry Iba Award (1975 and 1989). He was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 1991 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

ROY WILLIAMS, 3 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Throughout his stints at Kansas and North Carolina, Williams led his teams to nine Final Four appearances. His Tar Heels won three national titles (2005, 2009 and 2017). Williams has the fifth-most wins among Division I coaches. He's a two-time AP Coach of the Year (1992 and 2006), two-time Henry Iba Award winner (1990 and 2006) and won the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 1997. He earned the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award in 2003 and he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2007 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

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