'Coach K' ends 47-year basketball coaching career after loss at Final Four

By Muhammed Enes Calli and Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) - The Naismith Memorial Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski -- known as Coach K -- ended his coaching career on Saturday

Regarded as one of the most successful basketball coaches in history, Krzyzewski started his college coaching career at the age of 26.

Having graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1969, he served as a basketball player and captain of the Army basketball team.

After being discharged from the army in 1974, he worked as an assistant coach at the Indiana Hoosiers for one season.

At the age of 28, he returned to West Point as a head coach for five seasons.

In 1980, at the age of 33, he was named head coach at Duke University, where he became a legendary figure.

- Record 1,202 wins

Krzyzewski won a record 1,202 games and five NCAA titles in his 47-year career.

He had 101 NCAA Tournament wins in 35 appearances.

He helped Duke University earn five national trophies along with 15 ACC tournament titles.

While he led his team to 13 NCAA Final Fours, he surpassed another legendary basketball figure and former UCLA head coach John Wooden for the most Final Four appearances in NCAA history.

During his 42-season spell at Duke, Krzyzewski won 5 NCAA titles in 1991, 1992, 2001, 2010 and 2015.

Duke appeared at the NCAA Tournament in 24 successive years from 1996 to 2019 under Krzyzewski.

He was named the Naismith College Coach of the Year in 1989, 1992 and 1999 and the ACC Coach of the Year five times in 1984, 1986, 1997, 1999 and 2000.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001.

A 77-81 loss against the North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday in the NCAA Final Four was his 1,570th game and the last one of his widely recognized coaching career.

- 3 consecutive Olympic Gold medals

Krzyzewski also took charge of the United States men’s basketball team, helping his nation win three consecutive Olympic gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, London 2012 Olympics Games and Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games.

The US also clinched two gold medals at the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Championships under Krzyzewski.