Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim and his alma mater, Syracuse University, have agreed on a new contract that will lengthen his successful head-coaching tenure beyond the 2017-18 season.
The extension of the veteran coach’s contract came about as head-coach-in-waiting Mike Hopkins was hired to lead the program at Washington. Syracuse moved promptly to maintain stability in its program by negotiating the new deal with Boeheim, who had planned to step down following the conclusion of the next season.
“Mike accepting the position at Washington has put us in a unique position,” said John Wildhack, Syracuse Director of Athletics. “The circumstances are different now than they were when he was named head-coach-in-waiting.
“After discussing it with Chancellor Syverud, we believe the best decision for the student-athletes currently in the program and those who are committed to attending the University is to extend Coach Boeheim’s contract. Jim has enthusiastically agreed.
“Mike received a great opportunity and we thank him and wish him the best,” said Boeheim. “I’m happy to stay on to help the program and to continue the staff’s devotion to success.”
“The Syracuse basketball program was built on the concept of family and that remains intact with Coach Boeheim agreeing to this contract extension,” said John Wildhack. “Having experienced assistant coaches like Adrian Autry and Gerry McNamara on the staff helps us maintain the elite standing the program has earned.”
Autry and McNamara, both standout performers at Syracuse, have been assistant coaches under Boeheim since the 2011-12 campaign.
“I have no doubt this remarkable run of college basketball success at Syracuse under Coach Boeheim is positioned to continue,” said Wildhack.
In addition, the University has announced the promotion of Autry to the position of associate head coach.
Boeheim just completed his 41st season as head coach at Syracuse. He ranks second among Division I coaches in victories, trailing only Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski. Boeheim owns the longest active streak of seasons with his current institution, well ahead of Krzyzewski’s 36 at Duke.
He has guided the Orange into the postseason 39 times during his tenure, including 32 NCAA Tournaments and seven NIT berths. Boeheim has coached Syracuse into the NCAA championship game three times and the Final Four five times. Syracuse won the national championship in 2003.
Boeheim achieved the ultimate basketball tribute in 2005 when he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was honored again in the offseason, receiving the John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching” Award in April. That spring he and Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun were the “Spirit of Jimmy V” honorees at the annual V Foundation Gala.
Boeheim enrolled at Syracuse in 1962 and was a walk-on with the basketball team. By Boeheim’s senior season, he was a team captain along with the legendary Dave Bing. The Orange were 22-6 overall that year and earned the program’s second-ever NCAA Tournament berth. In 1969 he turned to a career in coaching and was hired as a graduate assistant at SU by head coach Roy Danforth. In 1976, he was appointed head coach at his alma mater.
A four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, Boeheim has been honored as NABC District II Coach of the Year 10 times and USBWA District II Coach of the Year on four occasions. During the 2000 Final Four he was presented with the Claire Bee Award in recognition of his contributions to the sport. In the fall of 2000, he received Syracuse University’s Arents Award, the school’s highest alumni honor. On February 24, 2002, the University named the Carrier Dome court “Jim Boeheim Court.” Boeheim joined a select group of coaches working the sidelines of a court named after them.
A long-time participant in the USA Basketball program, Boeheim was named 2001 USA Basketball National Coach of the Year. He has served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic teams that won gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, and the World Cup in 2010 and 2014.
A champion of many charitable causes, Boeheim and his wife started the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation. He has lent his time to Coaches vs. Cancer, Crouse Hospital’s Kienzle Family Maternity Center, the Children’s Miracle Network, the Eldercare Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Pioneer Center for the Blind and Disabled, Lighthouse, People in Wheelchairs, Easter Seals, the Special Olympics, the Rescue Mission and the Jack Bruen Fund, among others.
Last spring, Boeheim was presented with the Circle of Honor Award, presented annually by the American Cancer Society to a college coach who has shown extraordinary commitment and leadership with the Coaches vs. Cancer program’s fundraising, education and promotional initiatives.
Jim and his wife, Juli, are parents of Jimmy, and twins Jack and Jamie. Jim also has a daughter, Elizabeth.
