Michael William Krzyzewski (US:/ʃɪˈʒɛfski/shizh-EF-skee,[1]Polish:[kʂɨˈʐɛfskʲi]; born February 13, 1947), nicknamed "Coach K", is an American formercollege basketball coach. He served as the head coach atDuke University from1980 to2022, during which he led theBlue Devils to fivenational titles, 13Final Four appearances, 15ACC tournament championships, and 13ACC regular season titles. Among men's college basketball coaches, onlyUCLA'sJohn Wooden has won more NCAA championships (10). Krzyzewski is widely regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time.[2][3][4]
Krzyzewski has also coached theUnited States national team, which he led togold medals at the2008,2012, and2016 Olympics. He was the head coach of the U.S. team that won gold medals at the2010 and the2014 FIBA World Cup, and an assistant coach for the"Dream Team" at the1992 Olympics.
Krzyzewski was apoint guard atArmy from 1966 to 1969 under coachBob Knight. From 1975 to 1980, he was the head coach for his alma mater.[5] He is a three-time inductee into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in 2001 for his individual coaching career, in 2010 as part of the collective induction of the "Dream Team,"[6] and in 2025 as head coach of the2008 United States men's Olympic basketball team ("Redeem Team").[7] He was inducted into theCollege Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, and theUnited States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2009 (with the "Dream Team").[6]
On November 15,2011, Krzyzewski led Duke to a 74–69 victory overMichigan State atMadison Square Garden to become the coach with the most wins inNCAA Division I men's basketball history. Krzyzewski's 903rd victory set a new record, breaking that held by his former coach,Bob Knight. On January 25,2015, Duke defeatedSt. John's, 77–68, again at Madison Square Garden, as Krzyzewski became the first Division I men's coach to reach 1,000 wins.[8]
Krzyzewski was born inChicago, the son ofPolish American parents Emily M. (née Pituch) and William Krzyzewski[9][10] and was raised as aCatholic. Krzyzewski attended St. Helen Catholic School inUkrainian Village, Chicago and,[11] later,Archbishop Weber High School in Chicago, a Catholic prep school for boys.[12]
He was captain of the Army basketball team in his senior season, 1968–69, leading the Cadets to theNational Invitation Tournament (NIT) atMadison Square Garden inNew York City, where West Point finished fourth.
From 1969 to 1974, Krzyzewski served as anofficer in theU.S. Army and directed service teams for three years. In 2005, he was presented West Point's Distinguished Graduate Award.[13]
He graduated from theU.S. Military Academy atWest Point, New York, in 1969. He comes from a working-class family and is afirst-generation college student.[14]
He was discharged from active duty in 1974 with the rank ofcaptain, and started his coaching career as an assistant on Knight's staff with theIndiana Hoosiers during their historic1974–75 season. After one year with Indiana, Krzyzewski returned to West Point as head coach at age 28; in his five seasons, he led theArmy Cadets to a 73–59 (.553) record and an NIT berth in 1978.
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On March 18, 1980, Krzyzewski was named the head coach atDuke University after five seasons at Army.[15] After a few rebuilding seasons, he and the Blue Devils became a fixture on the national basketball scene with 35 NCAA Tournament berths in the past 36 years and 24 consecutive from 1996 to 2019, behindKansas which has appeared in the tournament in 30 consecutive seasons. Overall, he has taken his program to postseason play in 36 of his 39 years at Duke and is the winningest coach in men's NCAA Tournament play with a 100–30 record for a .769 winning percentage. His Duke teams have won 15 ACC Championships, been to 13 Final Fours, and won five NCAA tournament National Championships.
Krzyzewski had surgery to repair a ruptured disk in his back in October 1994, but insisted on returning to the sidelines for the 1994–95 season, using a special stool to keep him off his feet. However, the pain became so debilitating that he went several days without sleeping early in the season.[16] By the start of ACC play, the pain had progressed to a point that he could not continue. Shortly after the first game of ACC play, Krzyzewski told his players and coaches that he was taking a leave of absence, with longtime assistantPete Gaudet serving as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[17] He had actually planned to resign, but athletic directorTom Butters persuaded him to take a leave of absence instead. Per longstanding NCAA guidance, Duke only credits the first 12 games of the season to Krzyzewski and credits the remainder of the season to Gaudet. Years later, Krzyzewski said that he probably would have been out of basketball if he had not endured that season, since it made him realize he needed to manage his time better and delegate more responsibility.[16]
On February 13, 2010 – his 63rd birthday – Krzyzweski coached in his 1,000th game as the Duke head coach. On March 20, 2011, Krzyzewski won his 900th game, becoming the second of three Division I men's basketball coaches to reach 900 basketball wins, the other two beingJim Boeheim at Syracuse and his head coach at Army,Bob Knight.[18][19] On November 15, 2011, Krzyzewski got his 903rd win passing Knight's record for most Division I wins. In an interview of both men onESPN the previous night, Krzyzewski discussed the leadership skills he learned from Knight and theUnited States Military Academy. Knight credited Krzyzewski's understanding of himself and his players as keys to his success over the years.[20]
On January 25, 2015, Krzyzewski won his 1,000th game, when Duke defeatedSt. John's inMadison Square Garden. He is the first men's coach to win 1,000 NCAA Division I basketball games.
On April 6, 2015, Krzyzewski won his fifth NCAA championship, when Duke defeated Wisconsin in the title game.
Winning againstYale in the 2016 NCAA tournament on March 19, Krzyzewski became the all-time winningest coach in the NCAA Division I tournament with 90 total wins.
On November 11, 2017, Krzyzewski won his 1,000th game with the Duke Blue Devils, making him the first head coach to win 1,000 games with one NCAA Division I men's basketball program.[n 1]
On March 17, 2018, Krzyzewski won his 1,099th game in his career, passingPat Summitt for most wins by a Division I coach, male or female.[21]
On February 16, 2019, Krzyzewski won his 1,123rd game to become the winningest coach in college basketball history at any level (men's or women's), passingHarry Statham of Division IIMcKendree University.[22] However, on January 21, 2024,Tara VanDerveer became the winningest head coach in college basketball history at any level, men's or women's, upon passing Krzyzewski with her 1,203rd win.[23]
On June 2, 2021, Krzyzewski announced that he would retire at the conclusion of the 2021–22 season.[24] Krzyzewski coached his final home game on March 5, 2022, againstrivalNorth Carolina, where Duke lost 94–81.[25] Krzyzewski reached his 13th Final Four appearance, passingJohn Wooden forthe most Final Four appearances as a coach, where Duke lost 81–77 to North Carolina in his final game on April 2, 2022.[26] He ended his career at Duke with a 1,129–309 win-loss record.
On April 5, 2022, former Duke playerJay Williams theorized that Krzyzewski could return for another season, but Krzyzewski quickly put that theory to rest when he said he was not going to "pull aTom Brady" onESPNU Radio.
Krzyzewski's teams won three consecutive gold medals in the Olympics with him as head coach of theUSA men's national team. His other international coaching accolades include a silver medal at the 1987World University Games, a bronze medal at the1990 FIBA World Championship, a silver medal at the1990 Goodwill Games, a bronze medal at the2006 FIBA World Championship, and gold medals at the2007 FIBA Americas Championship, the2010 FIBA World Championship, and the2014 FIBA World Cup.
He was also an assistant coach for USA teams that won gold medals at the1984 and1992 Olympics,1979 Pan American Games, and1992 Tournament of the Americas.
In 2005, he was appointed coach of thenational team through the 2008Olympics. In the2006 FIBA World Championship, the USA won the bronze medal after losing in the semifinals toGreece, then beating defending Olympic gold medalistArgentina for third place.
On August 24, 2008, Krzyzewski's U.S. team won the gold medal at the2008 Beijing Olympics. "The Redeem Team" finished the tournament with a perfect 8–0 record. He coached the U.S. team for the2010 FIBA World Championship and led Team USA to a perfect 9–0 record, defeating host Turkey in the gold medal game, 81–64. Histeam won a second Olympic gold inLondon, defeating runners-upSpain, 107–100. Krzyzewski has amassed a total record of 75–1 (.987) as head coach of the USA National Team.[27]
In February 2013, Krzyzewski stepped down after seven years of coaching the national team,[28] but Team USA in May announced that he would return as head coach from 2013 through 2016.[29]
During his long tenure at Duke, Krzyzewski had been given the opportunity to coach in theNBA at least five times. The first time came after the 1990 season when he led the Blue Devils to their third straight Final Four appearance. TheBoston Celtics offered a coaching position to Krzyzewski, but he soon declined their offer. The next season, Krzyzewski proceeded to lead the Blue Devils to the first of two straight national championships. In 1994, he was pursued by thePortland Trail Blazers, but again he chose to stay with Duke. In 2004, Krzyzewski was also interviewed by theLos Angeles Lakers following the departure of high-profile coachPhil Jackson. He was given a formal offer from Lakers general managerMitch Kupchak, reportedly for five years, $40 million and part ownership, but again turned down the NBA. In 2010, theNew Jersey Nets were reportedly willing to pay Krzyzewski between $12 million and $15 million per season to coach the Nets. Krzyzewski again declined the offer and stayed at Duke.[30] In 2011, Krzyzewski was offered the vacant coaching position for theMinnesota Timberwolves, but he again declined the offer and chose to stay at Duke.[31]
Although Krzyzewski retired as Duke's basketball coach in 2022, he maintained a position at Duke University and continued to use his office in the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center. As of 2023, he said he talked to successor coachJon Scheyer on a near-daily basis. According toThe Athletic, Krzyzewski's post-retirement focuses included charity work forThe V Foundation and the Emily Krzyzewski Center, speaking gigs, and time with family. He made his first post-retirement appearance at a Duke game on February 14, 2023.[32]
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Krzyzewski married his wife, Carol "Mickie" Marsh, in the Catholic chapel at West Point on the day of his graduation in 1969. They have three daughters and ten grandchildren.[41] According toThe Wall Street Journal, she was the only person who could persuade him to step down during the 1994–95 season when he was suffering from a ruptured disk.[17] She actually went as far as to give her husband an ultimatum–if he wanted to come home on what would prove to be his final day of coaching that season, he needed to skip practice and go to the doctor.[16] His grandson, Michael Savarino, was a walk-on player at Duke for the2019–20 season.[42]
Krzyzewski and his family founded the Emily Krzyzewski Center, a non-profit organization affiliated withImmaculate Conception Catholic Church in Durham, which was established in 2006 and named in honor of Krzyzewski's mother. The mission is to inspire students from kindergarten to high school to dream big, act with character and purpose, and reach their potential as leaders in their community. The center's K to College Model serves academically focused students in out-of-school programming designed to help them achieve in school, gain entry to college, and break thecycle of poverty in their families. Krzyzewski and his wife, Mickie, have also been active for years in fundraising and support for theDuke Children's Hospital,Children's Miracle Network, theV Foundation for Cancer Research.[12] In all of those entities they have both served as chairs and/or led major fundraising efforts. In addition, the Krzyzewskis have been major donors to Duke University in supporting a number of areas, including establishing scholarship endowments for students in North and South Carolina as well as a Duke student-athlete every year. He also serves on the board of advisors of theCode of Support Foundation, a nonprofit military services organization.[43]
In 2012, Krzyzewski received the U.S. Basketball Writers Association's Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award honoring his civic service and charitable efforts in making a significant positive impact on society.[44]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Army Cadets(NCAA Division I independent)(1975–1980) | |||||||||
| 1975–76 | Army | 11–14 | |||||||
| 1976–77 | Army | 20–8 | |||||||
| 1977–78 | Army | 19–9 | NIT first round | ||||||
| 1978–79 | Army | 14–11 | |||||||
| 1979–80 | Army | 9–17 | |||||||
| Army: | 73–59 (.553) | ||||||||
| Duke Blue Devils(Atlantic Coast Conference)(1980–2022) | |||||||||
| 1980–81 | Duke | 17–13 | 6–8 | T–5th | NIT quarterfinal | ||||
| 1981–82 | Duke | 10–17 | 4–10 | T–6th | |||||
| 1982–83 | Duke | 11–17 | 3–11 | 7th | |||||
| 1983–84 | Duke | 24–10 | 7–7 | T–3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 1984–85 | Duke | 23–8 | 8–6 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 1985–86 | Duke | 37–3 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 1986–87 | Duke | 24–9 | 9–5 | 3rd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 1987–88 | Duke | 28–7 | 9–5 | 3rd | NCAA Division I Final Four | ||||
| 1988–89 | Duke | 28–8 | 9–5 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Final Four | ||||
| 1989–90 | Duke | 29–9 | 9–5 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 1990–91 | Duke | 32–7 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I Champion | ||||
| 1991–92 | Duke | 34–2 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I Champion | ||||
| 1992–93 | Duke | 24–8 | 10–6 | T–3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 1993–94 | Duke | 28–6 | 12–4 | 1st | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 1994–95 | Duke | 9–3[n 2] | 0–1[n 2] | [n 2] | |||||
| 1995–96 | Duke | 18–13 | 8–8 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 1996–97 | Duke | 24–9 | 12–4 | 1st | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 1997–98 | Duke | 32–4 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 1998–99 | Duke | 37–2 | 16–0 | 1st | NCAA Division I Runner-up | ||||
| 1999–00 | Duke | 29–5 | 15–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2000–01 | Duke | 35–4 | 13–3 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Champion | ||||
| 2001–02 | Duke | 31–4 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2002–03 | Duke | 26–7 | 11–5 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2003–04 | Duke | 31–6 | 13–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I Final Four | ||||
| 2004–05 | Duke | 27–6 | 11–5 | 3rd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2005–06 | Duke | 32–4 | 14–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2006–07 | Duke | 22–11 | 8–8 | 6th | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2007–08 | Duke | 28–6 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2008–09 | Duke | 30–7 | 11–5 | T–2nd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2009–10 | Duke | 35–5 | 13–3 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Champion | ||||
| 2010–11 | Duke | 32–5 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2011–12 | Duke | 27–7 | 13–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2012–13 | Duke | 30–6 | 14–4 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 2013–14 | Duke | 26–9 | 13–5 | T–3rd | NCAA Division I Round of 64 | ||||
| 2014–15 | Duke | 35–4 | 15–3 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Champion | ||||
| 2015–16 | Duke | 25–11 | 11–7 | T–5th | NCAA Division I Sweet 16 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Duke | 28–9 | 11–7 | T–5th | NCAA Division I Round of 32 | ||||
| 2017–18 | Duke | 29–8 | 13–5 | 2nd | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 2018–19 | Duke | 32–6 | 14–4 | 3rd | NCAA Division I Elite Eight | ||||
| 2019–20 | Duke | 25–6 | 15–5 | T–2nd | No postseason held | ||||
| 2020–21 | Duke | 13–11 | 9–9 | 10th | |||||
| 2021–22 | Duke | 32–7 | 16–4 | 1st | NCAA Division I Final Four | ||||
| Duke: | 1,129–309 (.785) | 466–193 (.707) | |||||||
| Total: | 1,202–368 (.766) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
*The2020 NCAA tournament was canceled due to concerns over thecoronavirus pandemic.
Assistant coaches under Krzyzewski who became NCAA or NBA head coaches
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