
It seems fitting that the Duke Blue Devils are running like a well-oiled machine in coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final NCAA Tournament. Prior to the 2021-22 campaign, Krzyzewski revealed that this season would be his last. Krzyzewski has been the head coach at Duke for the last 42 seasons and produced a Hall of Fame career during that time.
Coach K has put together a career record of 1,202-367, which is good for a .766 winning percentage. He’s led the Blue Devils to five national championships and 13 Final Four appearances. In order to win that sixth national championship, Duke will have to defeat arch rival North Carolina in Saturday’s Final Four matchup and the winner of Kansas/Villanova in Monday’s national championship game.
If Duke does win it all, Krzyzewski will join a very exclusive club: coaches that have gone out with a championship in their final seasons. Here’s a look at who Coach K would join in those ranks.
John Wooden
When it comes to legendary coaches through sports history, the conversation has to start with John Wooden. After all, Wooden won 10 national championships during his time at UCLA and also had 12 Final Four appearances. Wooden even won national titles in seven consecutive seasons from 1967 to 1973. The Hall of Fame coach’s final season came during the 1974-75 campaign and he led the Bruins to a 28-3 (12-2) record, which culminated in UCLA defeating Kentucky 92-85 in the championship game. Wooden finished his collegiate coaching career with a 620-147 record and a .808 winning percentage.
Bill Walsh
Bill Walsh led the San Francisco 49ers to three of the franchise’s five Super Bowl titles in the 1980s. After the 49ers lost in the Wild Card and Divisional rounds of the playoffs in three consecutive seasons, Walsh…
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