Houston basketball’s Kelvin Sampson looks to be the oldest head coach since Jim Calhoun to win the men’s NCAA Tournament on Monday. Who are the others? Here’s what to know.
Florida and Houston set to compete for NCAA title and this is how they got here
USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg is on site in Houston to preview the national championship game between Florida and Houston.
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Kelvin Sampson and Houston have taken their two years in the Big 12 by storm and are one win away from reaching the mountaintop of college basketball because of it.
But the Cougars’ dominance in college basketball precedes their arrival to the Big 12, as they were also one of the top teams in the country as a member of the American Athletic Conference.
The Cougars are currently in a tightly knit 45-41 game with Florida in the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament in San Antonio at the time of this writing.
A win on Monday would be a historic victory on several levels for Sampson and the Cougars basketball program, as it would mark the program’s first national championship title and would be his 800th career victory.
But it would also put Sampson ahead of Jim Calhoun in the March Madness record book as the oldest coach to cut down the nets and create an everlasting “One Shining Moment” with his team.
Here’s what you need to know on the oldest coaches to win the NCAA Tournament:
Who is the oldest coach to win March Madness?
Former UConn basketball coach Jim Calhoun currently holds the March Madness record for the oldest coach to win the 68-team NCAA Tournament at 68 years, 10 months, 25 days per the NCAA’s Final Four record book.
Calhoun surpasses former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski for the record in 2011 when UConn beat Butler in the 2011 NCAA Tournament national championship game behind Kemba Walker’s 16 points.
A win on Monday for Sampson would put the two-time Associated Press National Coach of the Year at the No. 1 spot in the record book.
Kelvin Sampson age
Sampson is 69 years old. He will turn 70 years old on Oct. 5.
As noted by USA TODAY, the Cougars coach was the the fourth oldest coach in this year’s NCAA Tournament, only behind St. Johns’ Rick Pitino (72), Tennessee’s Rick Barnes (70) and Michigan State’s Tom Izzo (70).
Oldest coaches to win March Madness
Here’s a list of the oldest coaches to win March Madness entering Monday, per the NCAA Final Four record book:
- 1. Jim Calhoun (UConn — 2011): 68 years, 10 months, 25 days
- 2. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke — 2010): 68 years, 1 month, 24 days
- 3. Roy Williams (North Carolina — 2017): 66 years, 8 months, 2 days
- 4. Phog Allen (Kansas — 1952): 66 years, 4 months, 8 days
- 5. John Wooden (UCLA — 1975): 64 years, 5 months, 17 days
- 6. Mike Krzyzewski (Duke — 2010): 63 years, 1 months, 22 days
- 7. Lute Olson (Arizona — 1997): 62 years, 6 months, 9 days
- 8. John Wooden (UCLA — 1973): 62 years, 5 months, 12 days
- 9. Dean Smith (North Carolina — 1993): 62 years, 1 month, 7 days
- 10. Jim Calhoun (UConn — 2004): 61 years, 10 months, 25 days
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