Celebrate Jim Calhoun with a Look Back at 5 of His Brightest Moments
University of Connecticut basketball coach Jim Calhoun announced his retirement today, ending an illustrious career that includes three NCAA championships. The 70-year-old Hall of Famer will be replaced by assistant coach Kevin Ollie for the upcoming season. Calhoun leaves the court with an impressive 873 wins, 625 coming while at UConn during his 26 years there.
We should also mention that Calhoun was suspended for three games in 2011 due to recruiting violations and that the school was stripped of some wins in 1996, but overwhelmingly Calhoun will be remembered for his winning ways on the sidelines. Here's a look back at five of the biggest moments of Calhoun's career:
First Championship in 1999
2005 Hall of Fame enshrinement
800th career win in 2009
Calhoun's 800th career win came in 2009 against Marquette, making him one of only seven coaches in Division I history (at that time) to reach that milestone. The others? Bob Knight, Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp, Jim Phelan, Mike Krzyzewski and Eddie Sutton. "I looked around at that list, and I'm really happy to be in their company," Calhoun said. He continued to climb up the rankings and now walks away just below Rupp on the all-time list. Not bad for a guy who started his career at Northeastern University.