Brick by brick, Coach Calhoun has built UConn into an elite program.
Jim Calhoun knows hard work. After losing his father at the age of 15, he worked as a granite cutter, headstone engraver, shampoo factory worker, scrapyard worker, and gravedigger to help support his family. He went on to play college ball and upon graduation, took a job teaching the 6th grade. A former player, Calhoun was a natural fit to be the local high school basketball coach. As his coaching resume grew and he marched upward from the high school to the college ranks, he never forgot his roots. His work ethic and dedicated attitude has rubbed off on team after team.
His rise to fame came through his success at the University of Connecticut. After taking over a struggling basketball program, he quickly worked to build a champion-caliber team. Within five years, he had been named National Coach of the Year, won a conference championship and taken his team to the quarterfinals of the national tournament. It was clear that Calhoun was UConn’s man; and his run of success ensured the kind of recruits who would buy into his team-first, blue-collar program.
In 1999, all the hard work paid off. Calhoun, along with young scrapper Richard “Rip” Hamilton, led UConn to its first ever national tournament semi-finals, finals and eventually brought home the title; a title made that much sweeter by taking the final game from much-hated Duke, 77-74. UConn, under Calhoun’s leadership, was now considered a perennial powerhouse in college basketball.
That status was reflected by their #1 ranking to start the season in 2004. Calhoun had built a winner, but this presented a new challenge: to keep the kids focused and make sure they approached each game with the same hard-working attitude he preached, despite the accolades being tossed around by the media. The team entered the national tournament as a #2 seed, but quickly marched through their bracket. Led by standouts Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon, they defeated Duke in the semi-finals and Georgia Tech in the finals, 82-73, to bring home their second national title.
But to Calhoun, it’s not always about the titles. It’s about recruiting quality young men, teaching them hard work and supporting his extended family: UConn basketball. In testimony to the strength of the team-focused program he’s built, in 2006 an unprecedented four UConn players were selected in the first round of the pro draft. He’s already compiled over 700 career wins and doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
Expect Calhoun and UConn to be a yearly player on the national stage.
