Legendary Maryland basketball coach Charles “Lefty” Driesell died Saturday morning at age 92, the school announced.
Driesell spent his longest coaching stint with Maryland (1969-86) and compiled a 348-159 record, which is second in program history to Gary Williams. Under Driesell, the Terrapins made eight NCAA Tournaments appearances and won the 1972 NIT Championship title, the 1984 ACC Tournament championship and two ACC regular-season titles.
“Lefty Driesell was a transcendent figure in college basketball and the man who put Maryland basketball on the map,” Maryland athletic director Damon Evans said in a statement. “A Hall of Famer, Lefty was an innovator, a man who was ahead of his time from his coaching on the court to his marketing off the court. From starting Midnight Madness to nationally-televised games with sold out Cole Field House crowds, Lefty did it all. … We are saddened to hear of his passing and send our condolences to his entire family and community of friends. His memory will be forever etched in Maryland basketball history.”
A Maryland icon. A college basketball legend.
We mourn the passing of the one and only Lefty Driesell
More: https://t.co/uIZdljbUTt pic.twitter.com/r5F8R8suS2
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) February 17, 2024
In 1986, Driesell’s Maryland coaching tenure ended after star player Len Bias died of a cocaine overdose. Driesell was cleared of any wrongdoing, but the school reassigned him to athletic department duties. Driesell left Maryland in 1988 to coach at James Madison.
The Norfolk, Va., native started his college coaching career at Davidson (1960-69), turning the Wildcats into contenders. During Driesell’s tenure, Davidson won eight Southern Conference titles and finished in the AP Top Ten final poll four times.
Driesell amassed a 786-394 career record and led all four of his programs to the NCAA Tournament. He reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times and took both Maryland and Davidson to the Elite Eight twice. After years of lobbying for his induction, Driesell was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 at age 86.
Last month, Maryland honored him at a Jan. 21 home game against Michigan State. Driesell, who had recently turned 92 on Christmas Day, wasn’t in attendance as the Spartans beat the Terps 61-59.
(Photo: Maddie Meyer / USA Today)
