 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1930-07-10)July 10, 1930 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | August 15, 2022(2022-08-15) (aged 92) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| College | Lafayette (1948–1952) |
| Coaching career | 1954–2011 |
| Career history | |
Coaching | |
| 1954–1958 | Easton HS (JV) |
| 1958–1966 | Reading HS |
| 1966–1967 | Lehigh |
| 1967–1996 | Princeton |
| 1996–2006 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) |
| 2008–2012 | Sacramento Kings (assistant) |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Basketball Hall of Fame | |
| Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame | |
Peter Joseph Carril (/kəˈrɪl/; July 10, 1930 – August 15, 2022) was an Americanbasketball coach. He is best known as head coach ofPrinceton University for 30 years and for his use of the "Princeton offense". He also coached atLehigh University and as an assistant with theSacramento Kings in theNational Basketball Association (NBA).
Carril was born inBethlehem, Pennsylvania, on July 10, 1930.[1][2] His father, animmigrant from Spain, was employed as a steelworker atBethlehem Steel for four decades and brought up his son as asingle father.[2][1]
Carril attendedLiberty High School in his hometown,[3] where he was an all-state selection forPennsylvania.[1]
He then studied atLafayette College inEaston, Pennsylvania, playingcollege basketball for theLafayette Leopards underButch van Breda Kolff.[1][2] Carril was honored as a Little All-American during hissenior year in 1952.[2] While at Lafayette, he became a member ofDelta Tau Delta International Fraternity.[4]
After graduating from college, he served briefly in theU.S. Army.[2] He later obtained aM.A. degree in educational administration fromLehigh University inBethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1959.[1][2]
In 1954, Carril was hired as the junior varsity basketball coach and ninth gradePennsylvania history teacher atEaston Area High School inEaston, Pennsylvania. Four years later, in 1958, Carril was named the varsity coach atReading Senior High School inReading, Pennsylvania, whereGary Walters, the formerPrinceton Tigers athletic director and earlierPrinceton basketball point guard played basketball under him atLiberty High School.[5][6]
In the 1966–1967 season, Carril was head coach atLehigh University inBethlehem, Pennsylvania.
He then moved toPrinceton University. In 29 years, he compiled a 514–261 (.663 winning percentage) record.[7] He is also the only men's coach to win 500 games without the benefit of athletic scholarships for his players.[8] He won or shared 13Ivy League championships and led the Tigers to 11NCAA tournaments and 2NITs. TheTigers won the NIT championship in 1975.[7]
Carril's Tigers had the nation's best scoring defense in 14 out of 21 years from 1975 to 1996, including eight in a row from 1988 to 1996.[9] Games against Princeton were typically low-scoring affairs; for example, the 1990–91 and 1991–92 Tigers are the only teams to hold opponents below 50 points per game since theshot clock became mandatory for the 1985–86 season.[10] Partly due to these factors, while his Tigers only won three NCAA Tournament games and never survived the tournament's opening weekend, they were known as a very dangerous first-round opponent;[11][12] seven of their first round losses were by fewer than ten points.[13]
In 1989, Princeton took first-rankedGeorgetown down to the wire, leading by eight points at halftime beforelosing 50–49.[2] Had the Tigers won, they would have been the first #16 seed to defeat a #1 seed since the NCAA began seeding the tournament field in 1979.[14] Seven years later, Carril's final collegiate victory was an upset of defending national championsUCLA in the first round of the NCAA tournament in1996 by a score of 43–41, in what is considered one of the greatest upsets of all time.[15][16]
Carill's career collegiate coaching record, including one season atLehigh University inBethlehem, Pennsylvania, was 525–273.[7] He was enshrined in both theNational Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1997, following his retirement from Princeton.[17]
Carril was an assistant coach for theSacramento Kings of theNational Basketball Association for 10 years until his retirement in 2006.[2][18] AfterRick Adelman became Sacramento's head coach before the1998–99 season, Carril helped Adelman install the Princeton offensive game plan and oversaw the Kings' development into one of the NBA's most potent offensive teams. During his tenure, the Kings were noted for their quick-passing offense, as well as their ability to stymiedouble teaming attempts from their opponents.[19] In 2007, he volunteered as a coach with theWashington Wizards.[20] He subsequently rejoined the Kings as an assistant for the 2009 season.[1]
Carril was married to Dolores Halteman. They had two children: Peter and Lisa.[2][21] They eventually divorced.[2]
Carril suffered a heart attack in 2000, which spurred him to quit smokingMacanudo cigars.[2]
He died on August 15, 2022, at theHospital of the University of Pennsylvania inPhiladelphia.[22] He was 92, and suffered astroke prior to his death.[2][17]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lehigh Engineers(NCAA University Division independent)(1966–1967) | |||||||||
| 1966–67 | Lehigh | 11–12 | |||||||
| Lehigh: | 11–12 (.478) | ||||||||
| Princeton Tigers(Ivy League)(1967–1996) | |||||||||
| 1967–68 | Princeton | 20–6 | 12–2 | T–1st | |||||
| 1968–69 | Princeton | 19–7 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA University First Round | ||||
| 1969–70 | Princeton | 16–9 | 9–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1970–71 | Princeton | 14–11 | 9–5 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1971–72 | Princeton | 20–7 | 12–2 | 2nd | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||
| 1972–73 | Princeton | 16–9 | 11–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1973–74 | Princeton | 16–10 | 11–3 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1974–75 | Princeton | 22–8 | 12–2 | 2nd | NIT Champion | ||||
| 1975–76 | Princeton | 22–5 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1976–77 | Princeton | 21–5 | 13–1 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1977–78 | Princeton | 17–9 | 11–3 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1978–79 | Princeton | 14–12 | 7–7 | 3rd | |||||
| 1979–80 | Princeton | 15–15 | 11–3 | T–1st | |||||
| 1980–81 | Princeton | 18–10 | 13–1 | T–1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1981–82 | Princeton | 13–13 | 9–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1982–83 | Princeton | 20–9 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| 1983–84 | Princeton | 18–10 | 10–4 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1984–85 | Princeton | 11–15 | 7–7 | T–4th | |||||
| 1985–86 | Princeton | 13–13 | 7–7 | T–4th | |||||
| 1986–87 | Princeton | 16–9 | 9–5 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1987–88 | Princeton | 17–9 | 9–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1988–89 | Princeton | 19–8 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1989–90 | Princeton | 20–7 | 11–3 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1990–91 | Princeton | 24–3 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1991–92 | Princeton | 22–6 | 12–2 | 1st | NCAA Division I First Round | ||||
| 1992–93 | Princeton | 15–11 | 7–7 | 4th | |||||
| 1993–94 | Princeton | 18–8 | 11–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1994–95 | Princeton | 16–10 | 10–4 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1995–96 | Princeton | 22–7 | 12–2 | T–1st | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| Princeton: | 514–261 (.663) | 310–96 (.764) | |||||||
| Total: | 525–273 (.658) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
