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Texas Tech men’s basketball head coach Tubby Smith will receive the 2016 John R. Wooden “Legends of Coaching” award announced Tuesday at the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s annual Wooden Award Tipoff Luncheon.
Adopted by the Wooden Award Steering Committee in 1999, the “Legends of Coaching” honor recognizes coaches who exemplify Coach Wooden’s high standards of coaching success and personal integrity. The recipients are selected based on character, success on the court, graduation rates of student-athletes in their basketball program, coaching philosophy and identification with the goals of the Wooden Award. The selection announcement at this afternoon’s luncheon was made by Coach Wooden’s daughter, Nan Wooden.
In addition, Smith will be recognized during the Wooden Award Weekend from April 7-9, 2016, during the Los Angeles Athletic Club’s celebration of the greatest players and coaches in college basketball. He will be presented the award at the 2nd annual ESPN College Basketball Awards Show on April 8, 2016.
Smith has enjoyed an unprecedented level of success during his 24-year head coaching career which includes stops at Tulsa, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota and Texas Tech. He has amassed a 538-263 (.672) career record highlighted by the 1998 National Championship, four NCAA Tournament Elite Eight appearances, nine NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 trips and 19 seasons of 20-plus victories fueled by 17 NCAA Tournament appearances. He is one of seven active head coaches to collect over 500 wins and a national championship. The 19, 20-plus win seasons are tied for seventh place among active coaches.
Smith is a five-time conference honoree (SEC – 3, MVC – 2). In 2002-03, he swept all seven national coach of the year honors recognized by the NCAA — AP, USBWA, Naismith, Basketball Times, The Sports News, NABC and CBS/Chevrolet. He became the first consensus National Coach of the Year since 1975 when Indiana’s Bob Knight accomplished the feat.
Smith is one of only nine head coaches to lead four different schools to the NCAA Tournament. If he can get Texas Tech to The Big Dance, Smith will become just the second coach in history to lead five different programs to the Tournament.
Smith has sent 19 players to the NBA which includes three who have won an NBA Championship and one an Olympic gold medal. He won an Olympic Gold Medal as an assistant coach on Rudy Tomjanovich’s Team USA staff in 2000.
Smith and his wife, Donna, have given back more than $2 million to assist underprivileged youth in communities throughout Kentucky, Minnesota and Texas through the Tubby Smith Foundation. Among his coaching “family tree” are his three sons: Orlando (G.G.) Smith, who is the head coach at Loyola University in Maryland; Saul Smith, who serves as the video coordinator at Texas Tech and Brian Smith, who is an assistant coach and physical education teacher in Florida. His daughter, Trish Smith, is the Vice President of Edelman in Washington, D.C.
Visit www.TexasTech.com for the latest news and information on the men’s basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its social media outlets at www.Facebook.com/TexasTechMBB and @TexasTechMBB on Twitter.
John R. Wooden Award Legends of Coaching Honorees
Year, Recipient, School
1999, Dean Smith, North Carolina
2000, Mike Krzyzewski, Duke
2001, Lute Olson, Arizona
2002, Denny Crum, Louisville
2003, Roy Williams, Kansas
2004, Mike Montgomery, Stanford
2005, Jim Calhoun, Connecticut
2006, Jim Boeheim, Syracuse
2007, Gene Keady, Purdue
2008, Pat Summitt, Tennessee
2009, Rick Barnes, Texas
2010, Billy Donovan, Florida
2011, Tom Izzo, Michigan State
2012, Geno Auriemma, Connecticut
2013, Bill Self, Kansas
2014, Tara VanDerveer, Stanford
2015, Steve Fisher, San Diego State
2016, Tubby Smith, Texas Tech
http://www.texastech.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/101315aab.html
