| John Calipari |
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EIGHTH SEASON AT MEMPHIS IN 2007-08
181-63 record at Memphis (7 years)
374-134 record overall (15 years)
3rd For Most Wins In NCAA History Through 15 Seasons
14 Postseason Tournaments
9 NCAA Tournament • 1 Final Four • 4 Elite Eights • 5 Sweet 16
5 NIT • 4 Final Fours
2002 NIT Title
8 League Championships
He's won over 73 percent of his games as a collegiate head coach. He's won over 74 percent of his games during his tenure as the head coach at the University of Memphis.
But John Calipari, who just completed his seventh year at Memphis in 2006-07, has an even higher winning percentage in another area of collegiate athletics -- graduating student-athletes. Since stepping foot on the Memphis campus, 12 of 15 seniors that have played for Calipari earned their bachelor's degrees.
In case you're wondering, that's 80 percent. And while Calipari enjoys winning games, he is thrilled when members of his basketball family walk across the stage, receive their diplomas and make their marks in a chosen profession.
Sure, Calipari talks proudly about players -- including Rodney Carney, Marcus Camby, Antonio Burks, Lou Roe -- that he has helped to the professional ranks either in the U.S. or overseas. But, Calipari is just as proud of those former players that have carved out careers outside basketball.
Calipari repeatedly talks about how well Arthur Barclay is working in the FedEx Corporation. The Tiger head coach offered a position to Shyrone Chatman, one of his first Memphis graduates, and the former Tiger player joined the staff this past year. And when the Tigers play on the road and a former Memphis or UMass player stops by the locker room afterwards, Calipari beams when the player talks about his career and family.
To Calipari, college basketball is more than wins and losses. It's about the student-athletes. It's always been that way in his two collegiate coaching stints at Memphis (2000-present) and UMass (1988-96).
When he was hired to return the Memphis basketball program back to national prominence in the spring of 2000, Calipari did not talk in terms of wins only. He talked about improving all the areas -- academics, facilities, community involvement -- so the program would have a solid foundation and build from there.
Calipari had the experience necessary to do just that. His first collegiate head coach position was from 1988-96 at UMass, which was one of the worst NCAA Division I basketball programs in the 1980s.
In one of college basketball's best reclamation projects, Calipari led the Minuteman program to numerous wins, conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. His passion to build a program helped accelerate the construction of the Mullins Center, UMass' basketball and hockey facility. Calipari's desire also reached out to eastern Massachusetts and Boston and brought fans back to Amherst, located in the picturesque Berkshire Mountains, to watch a national powerhouse basketball team.
Calipari also encouraged his players to work toward earning their degrees, and many did graduate. He reached out to former UMass players and coaches, creating a bond between his squads and those of the past.
Well, he's doing the same at Memphis. Although the Tiger program wasn't as far down as UMass was when Calipari arrived, even the most loyal Memphis basketball supporters would admit their beloved Tigers had fallen on hard times in the mid-to-late 1990s. From 1993-94 through 1999-2000 (seven seasons), Memphis posted only two 20-win campaigns (1994-95 and 1995-96), and the Tigers had consecutive losing seasons in 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
The Tigers' fortunes had taken a nosedive from where they once were. But, in seven short years, Calipari has not only revitalized the Memphis program itself, but also re-energized a city's love affair with Tiger basketball -- a relationship that is the very fabric of the Memphis community.
The Tigers have captured their fans with intense and competitive play under Calipari's tutelage. In Calipari's seven years, Memphis has won 181 games, posted seven-straight 20-win seasons and earned seven-consecutive postseason bids. For numbers close to that, a Tiger fan would have to look all the way back to the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Calipari's 181 victories and 25.9 wins per year are the most by a Tiger mentor in his first seven seasons. And the last time the Memphis program had seven-straight 20-win seasons was from 1987-93. The current run of seven-straight postseason berths under Calipari is a first in Tiger history.
Calipari won his 100th game as the Memphis head coach midway through the 2004-05 season, and he reached that milestone the second fastest of any Tiger mentor. That same season, Calipari became one of only seven coaches in NCAA Division I history to win 300 or more games in their first 13 years. Calipari joined Roy Williams, Everett Case, Denny Crum, Jim Boeheim, Tubby Smith and Nolan Richardson in that elite group. Calipari hit the 300-win mark in February of 2005 when his Tigers upset No. 9 Louisville 85-68 in Freedom Hall.
Again, though, Calipari is not caught up in only the wins and postseason appearances. Just as he did at UMass, he is attempting to build the entire program, which also includes upgrading facilities and graduating players.
Since coming to Memphis in 2000, he has continually made improvements to the Larry O. Finch Recreation Center, the Tigers' on-campus practice facility. The practice courts, weight room and spacious players' lounge are used only by the men's basketball program. Memphis also made a move to FedExForum in 2004-05. The state-of-the-art facility is college basketball's top arena, and the players' locker room is comparable to those of NBA squads.
But, a walk down the basketball office hallway toward Calipari's office may be his greatest source of pride. Fourteen players -- those that played under Calipari and former Tigers -- have their graduation photos on the wall.
Since he took over in 2000, 12 of 15 Calipari players have earned their degrees, and two others, Anferenee Hardaway and Marcus Moody, came back to graduate during Calipari's tenure. And, it hasn't stopped there.
Calipari, with the help of the University, has asked several former players to come back and earn their degrees. Some of the beloved Tigers from the 1980s such as Bobby Parks and Andre Turner are taking Calipari up on his offer. Prior to Calipari arriving at Memphis, the basketball graduation rate was zero.
On the court, each year under Calipari has been a step in the right direction. The first year saw Memphis make the NIT final four. In the second season, the Tigers took care of a little unfinished business, taking home the NIT national championship. Year No. 3 had Memphis make a trip to the NCAA Tournament, the program's first in seven seasons. Calipari's fourth year at the helm in 2003-04 saw the Tigers not only earn an NCAA Tournament bid, but also win their first NCAA Tournament game since 1995. The Tigers took a small step back in 2004-05, Calipari's fifth year, but still managed a 20-win season and an NIT final four berth despite several setbacks.
The 2005-06 campaign, though, brought the Memphis program back to the national forefront, giving Tiger Nation a reason to cheer all the way into late March. In his sixth year, Calipari, the 2005-06 Conference USA Coach of the Year, took Memphis fans on a ride they won't soon forget.
The Tigers won a school-record 33 games and tied NCAA champ Florida for the most wins of any team in the nation in 2005-06. Memphis swept the Conference USA regular season and tournament titles and earned the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed. The Tigers advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, where they fell to UCLA. The Elite Eight appearance was the program's first since 1992, and although fans were hoping for a Final Four trip, they can feel confident that Calipari has the Tiger program on solid footing and is now moving forward.
And Calipari kept the program moving forward in 2006-07. The Tigers tied the school record for most wins in a season with 33 victories (33-4 record), made a second-straight NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearance and captured second-consecutive Conference USA regular season and tournament titles. The consecutive Elite Eight appearances (2006, 2007) were a first in school history. The back-to-back outright regular season crowns were a first for the Memphis program, and the consecutive tournament championships were the Tigers' first since they won two-straight Metro Conference Tournaments in 1984 and 1985.
The 2006-07 Tigers also pulled a first in Conference USA history. Memphis posted a perfect 16-0 regular season mark and also captured the league's postseason tournament. The Tigers were the second squad in C-USA history to go 16-0 in the regular season as Cincinnati did so in 1999-2000. That Bearcat team, though, did not win the Conference USA Tournament title. The Tigers received a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and finished No. 5 in the final regular season national polls.
Since Calipari took over in 2000-01, the Tigers have ranked among the nation's top 15 in attendance five of his first six years (2006-07 figures have yet to be released). The 2001 squad averaged 17,110 to rank sixth nationally, while the 2002 team averaged 16,225 to rank 10th. In 2002-03, Memphis ranked seventh with an average of 16,643 per contest, while the following season (2004-04), the Tigers ranked 10th (15,432 per game). In 2005-06, Memphis was 13th in the nation in attendance, averaging 14,866 per contest. In Calipari's tenure, Memphis has drawn over 1.5 million in total paid attendance.
The large attendance figures have given Memphis a true homecourt advantage. The Tigers are 54-8 (.871 winning percentage) in their three seasons at FedExForum, including a perfect 19-0 home mark in 2006-07. Memphis closed the 2006-07 campaign with a 32-game homecourt win streak, which is the longest in the nation. The Tigers will carry that homecourt win streak into the 2007-08 campaign.
Just prior to the move to FedExForum, Memphis closed out its tenure in The Pyramid with a 24-game homecourt win streak that spanned over three seasons. The Tigers posted a perfect 15-0 record at The Pyramid in 2003-04.
In 15 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Calipari's record stands at 374-134 (.736). But what matters even more in the college game is what coaches and teams do in the month of March, and Calipari excels there as well. His record in March is 75-27 (.735) when it counts the most.
By wins, Calipari is tied for the third-best career start in NCAA history through 15 years with 370 career wins. Through 15 collegiate seasons, only North Carolina coach Roy Williams and former Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson (Calipari is tied for third with Louisville Hall of Fame coach Denny Crum) have won more games than Calipari.
Calipari had the fifth-best career start in NCAA history through nine and 10 seasons, sixth-best through 11 seasons, seventh-best start through 12 and 13 seasons and sixth-best through 14 seasons.
THE MEMPHIS BEGINNING
In an instant, Calipari had the city of Memphis abuzz about Tiger basketball.
Local television and radio stations went live at the press conference to introduce Calipari as the University of Memphis' 16th head basketball coach on Mar. 11, 2000. He was introduced to an overflow audience of fans in The Pyramid's Tiger Club Room later in the day.
In a matter of a few hours, the University of Memphis had seized March Madness. With his down-to-earth demeanor, his knowledge of Memphis basketball history and his expectations for the future of the program, folks left The Pyramid that March afternoon knowing Tiger basketball was in good hands.
In his first year, Memphis exceeded expectations. The U of M won 20-plus games for the first time in five seasons, posting a 21-15 record. The Tigers advanced to the Conference USA Tournament semifinals for the first time since 1996 and capped the year with a third-place finish at the TiVo NIT.
For the first time since becoming a charter member of Conference USA, Memphis swept four, two-game series against National Division opponents.
How Calipari had his first Tiger team playing at season's end was a far cry from its 4-8 start. Memphis played three NCAA Sweet 16 teams, and faced five other opponents that advanced to postseason play during the first weeks of the season.
Memphis would roll off eight-consecutive wins to begin the new year and were in contention all season for a league championship. The U of M finished the season just a game out of first place, marking the squad's highest finish since capturing a share of the inaugural conference title in 1996.
In Calipari's first season, Memphis also broke both the season total (290,864) and season average (17,110) records for paid attendance.
OFF THE COURT
Calipari's endeavors in the community and on the University of Memphis campus have rivaled the strides the Tigers have made on the court during the coach's seven seasons in the Mid-South.
Early in his tenure at the U of M, Calipari began developing a relationship with Memphis-based FedEx. The overnight courier has employed Memphis student-athletes in its internship program during the summers. It is a program where the Tigers gain valuable experience in an area related to their field of study.
Calipari has also founded a program called NetWorks. The program brings together business leaders from throughout the community to network, find employment opportunities and place former Memphis players following their playing careers.
Calipari has made several financial contributions to the University and has been honored by the Friends of the Ned McWherter Library on the U of M campus. In April of 2004, Calipari and his family made a $100,000 contribution to help endow athletic scholarships at the University. He also presented the university a check for $40,000 which resulted from a partnership between Calipari and Pace Cooper, president and CEO of Cooper Companies, the owner of Cal's Championship Steakhouse in the Hilton East Memphis.
At the conclusion of his first season at Memphis, Calipari joined several area business leaders to form the Y.E.S. Foundation, an organization designed to educate middle school students about the importance of academics and athletics. Y.E.S., an acronym for Youth Education Through Sports, held its first camp on the U of M campus in August of 2001. Over 25 schools are currently taking part in the program which is in its seventh year.
Calipari has also been responsible for raising money and making donations for improvements at the U of M's tennis complex, air conditioning in the Elma Roane Fieldhouse and having courts resurfaced for use by Memphis students for outdoor basketball.
Not only did Calipari secure a shoe and apparel contract for the basketball program, he also has helped with similar arrangements for several Olympic sports programs at the University.
A couple of years ago, Calipari teamed up with NBA All-Star guard Allen Iverson to renovate basketball courts in the community. The courts were dedicated in the Orange Mound community of Memphis as well as a four-plex of courts adjacent to Halle Stadium in southeast Memphis. The first courts built during the continuing project were at two housing projects located near downtown Foote Homes and Dixie Homes.
When he arrived, the University of Memphis had just opened a new practice facility. In the past seven years, Calipari has directed improvements which makes the Larry O. Finch Recreation Facility one of the best of its kind and on a scale with some of the top practice facilities in the NBA. Calipari's latest vision for the Finch Center is to turn the entrance area into a memorabilia center that will chronicle Tiger basketball history. Also, with the Tigers' move to its new home, FedExForum, Calipari designed the team's locker room at the facility. The locker room is one of the nation's best and includes a players' lounge, meeting room and training room along with other amenities.
He received the Lombardi Award from UNICO National in the summer of 2003. UNICO was founded in 1922 to provide scholarships to worthy students and to give strength and force in fighting discrimination against Italian-Americans. UNICO's Lombardi Award recognized an outstanding individual of Italian-American heritage who is involved in athletics.
In 2004, Calipari was inducted to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and UMass Athletic Hall of Fame. He was also recognized by the West Tennessee Arthritis Foundation and Tennessee Health Care Association for his work and contributions to both organizations.
Away from the University, Calipari is a sought after speaker. He has made countless appearances on programs such as Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show Period, ESPN's Outside the Lines and Jim Rome Is Burning and ESPN2's Quite Frankly With Stephen A. Smith, as well as countless interviews on national radio programs.
PRIOR TO MEMPHIS
Calipari returned to college basketball in 2000 after working the previous season as an assistant coach with the Philadelphia 76ers and two-plus seasons as the head coach of the New Jersey Nets.
Prior to moving to the NBA, Calipari built a basketball program from the ground up at the University of Massachusetts (1988-96).
During an eight-year stint at UMass, he took the Minutemen from being a team which had struggled in the Atlantic 10 Conference to being a national powerhouse. UMass went to five-straight NCAA Tournaments (1992-96), advancing to the Final Four in his last season. UMass advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 on three occasions and two Elite Eights. The school became just the second NCAA Division I program to win five-straight regular season and conference tournament championships.
Calipari compiled a 193-71 record (.731) during his career at Massachusetts, including a 108-44 mark (.684) in Atlantic 10 play.
In addition to five-straight NCAA Tournaments, UMass also made two appearances in the NIT, advancing to the NIT final four in 1991. The 1990-91 season was the first of six-straight seasons in which the Minutemen won at least 20 games.
Calipari's personal 20-win streak has reached the 13-season mark as all seven of his Memphis clubs have won 20-plus games.
In his final season at UMass, Calipari was named the 1996 Naismith National Coach of the Year and The Sporting News National Coach of the Year. He was also named the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the third time in four years, as well as Basketball Times East Region Coach of the Year.
During the Minutemen's 35-2 season in 1995-96, UMass posted wins over Maryland, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia Tech and Louisville. UMass ended the regular season ranked No. 1 in the nation in the final regular season poll after being the top-ranked team for nine weeks earlier in the year. The Minutemen also won their first 26 games of the season, setting a school record for most consecutive wins.
In addition to his National Coach of the Year honors in 1996, Calipari was a Naismith Coach of the Year finalist in 1994 and 1995. He was the USBWA District I Coach of the Year in 1993.
Calipari's accomplishments are made even more impressive when you consider what he started with at UMass. Prior to his arrival, UMass had suffered through 10-straight losing seasons.
At 29, when he was named head coach, Calipari began to build a program from the ground up, going 10-18 his first season before posting a 17-14 record his second year and receiving a bid to the NIT. UMass made a late season run in 1991, advancing to the NIT's Final Four.
The Minutemen won their first A-10 championship in 1992 with a 30-5 record, including a 13-3 mark in league play. With a 77-71 overtime win over Syracuse in an East Regional second-round game, UMass made its first Sweet 16 appearance.
Off the court, UMass' graduation rate for its basketball players was close to 80 percent.
Calipari left UMass in June of 1996 to become Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach of the New Jersey Nets. He led the Nets to a second-place finish in the NBA's Atlantic Division and the playoffs in 1998, ending a five-year postseason drought for the franchise. The Nets' 17-game turnaround from the previous year was the best that season in the NBA.
He joined the Philadelphia 76ers coaching staff in 1999, rejoining Philadelphia coach Larry Brown, who Calipari was an assistant for at Kansas.
Calipari began his coaching career at Kansas as a volunteer assistant under Ted Owens. In 1983, he was hired as the recruiting coordinator at the University of Vermont, but was swayed back to the nation's heartland when Brown was hired as head coach at KU. He spent three seasons at Kansas (1982-85) before another three-year stint as an assistant coach to Paul Evans at Pittsburgh (1985-88).
The 48-year-old lettered two years at North Carolina-Wilmington before transferring to Clarion State. He played point guard at Clarion during the 1981 and 1982 seasons, leading the team in assists and free throw percentage. The Eagles were ranked in the Division II Top 20 both years and participated in the 1981 NCAA Division II Tournament.
Calipari and his wife, Ellen, have two daughters, Erin Sue and Megan Rae, and a son, Bradley Vincent. Erin is in her second year of college at UMass.
CALIPARI CAREER RECORD
Overall Conference
Season Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct. Accomplishments
1988-89 UMass 10-18 .357 5-13 .278
1989-90 UMass 17-14 .548 10-8 .558 NIT
1990-91 UMass 20-13 .606 10-8 .558 NIT Final Four
1991-92 UMass 30-5 .857 13-3 .824 A-10 Champ (R/T); NCAA Sweet 16
1992-93 UMass 24-7 .774 11-3 .786 A-10 Champ (R/T); NCAA 2nd Rd.
1993-94 UMass 28-7 .800 14-2 .875 A-10 Champ (R/T); NCAA 2nd Rd.
1994-95 UMass 29-5 .853 13-3 .813 A-10 Champ (R/T); NCAA Elite 8
1995-96 UMass 35-2 .946 15-1 .938 A-10 Champ (R/T); NCAA Final Four
1996-97 NJ Nets 26-56 .317
1997-98 NJ Nets 43-39 .524 NBA Playoffs
1998-99 NJ Nets 3-17 .150
2000-01 Memphis 21-15 .583 10-6 .625 NIT Final Four
2001-02 Memphis 27-9 .750 12-4 .750 C-USA Nat'l Div. Champ; NIT Champ
2002-03 Memphis 23-7 .767 13-3 .813 C-USA Nat'l Div. Champ; NCAA
2003-04 Memphis 22-8 .733 12-4 .750 C-USA Champ (R); NCAA 2nd Rd.
2004-05 Memphis 22-16 .579 9-7 .563 NIT Final Four
2005-06 Memphis 33-4 .892 13-1 .929 C-USA Champ (R/T); NCAA Elite 8
2006-07 Memphis 33-4 .917 16-0 1.000 C-USA Champ (R/T); NCAA Elite 8
NCAA Totals 374-134 .736 176-66 .727 8 NCAAs, 5 NITs
Memphis Totals 181-63 .742 85-25 .773 3 NCAAs, 3 NITs
NBA Totals 72-112 .391
R -- denotes conf. regular season title; T -- denotes conf. tournament title
