The 2022 Class includes Kruger, Richard Hamilton (UConn), Larry Miller (North Carolina), Frank Selvy (Furman), Jimmy Walker (Providence) and coaches John Beilein and Jerry Krause. Roy Williams and Jim Calhoun will be formally honored with the Class of 2022 and were previously recognized as part of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Founding Class in 2006.
Kruger is Oklahoma's first coach to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. He will join former Oklahoma standout and three-time All-American Wayman Tisdale in the Hall of Fame.
Kruger's 674 Division I wins are the 27th most all-time and were the 10th most among active coaches at the time of his retirement. His 195 victories at OU rank as the fourth most in program history.
Kruger became the first coach in NCAA Division I history to take five different schools to the NCAA Tournament and he is the only coach to win an NCAA Tournament game with five programs. He is also the only coach since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to take four programs to the Sweet 16 or beyond.
No stranger to the postseason, Kruger's teams reached 20 NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the Sweet 16 five times and earning Final Four berths in 1994 (Florida) and 2016 (Oklahoma). He led the Sooners to seven NCAA Tournaments, two Sweet 16s and the 2016 Final Four. Under Kruger, Oklahoma produced six first-team All-Big 12 selections and 32 Academic All-Big 12 honors. Kruger's teams featured numerous stars and were highlighted by 2016 National Player of the Year Buddy Hield and 2018 National Freshman of the Year Trae Young.
Four Sooners were selected in the NBA Draft during Kruger's tenure and two were drafted among the top six picks (Hield and Young).
Prior to his time in Norman, Kruger served as the head coach at Texas-Pan American (1982-86), Kansas State (1986-90), Florida (1990-96), Illinois (1996-2000) and UNLV (2004-11). He also spent three years as the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks (2000-03) and one year as a New York Knicks assistant (2003-04). Kruger directed all six college programs to 20-win seasons and took each of the last five to the NCAA Tournament.
Kruger spent seven years at UNLV and compiled a 161-71 (.694) record prior to his arrival in Norman. He coached the Runnin' Rebels to four NCAA Tournaments and revitalized a program that had made the NCAA Tournament only two times in the previous 15 seasons before Kruger's leadership.
Kruger spent four years as the Illinois head coach prior to his four-year stint in the NBA. His Illini teams were 81-48 and made the NCAA Tournament three times.
He spent the previous six seasons at Florida (1990-96) and led the Gators to the 1994 Final Four. The year prior to Kruger's arrival in Gainesville, the Gators finished 7-21. He became one of two head coaches to inherit two teams coming off a sub-.500 year and take both to the Final Four within their first five seasons as head coach.
Prior to his time at Florida, Kruger received his second collegiate head coaching job at his alma mater, Kansas State (1986-90). He finished his four-year stay in Manhattan with an 81-46 (.638) record and led all four teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Kruger started his coaching career at Texas-Pan American (now UTRGV) where he compiled a 52-59 record. He concluded his four-year tenure with a 20-8 record in his final season.
In 2019, Kruger was awarded the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award and in 2017 he was awarded the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Metropolitan Award for long and outstanding service to men's college basketball.
QUOTES
2022 Hall of Fame Inductee and Former OU Head Men's Basketball Coach Lon Kruger:"Very honored to join those who have already been inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Any time a coach receives the honor, it is a result of the people that surround him. From players, staff and coaches and so many people through the years, it has always been about the relationships. Everyone who has been a part of this journey should feel some ownership in it. All of the terrific people that we have worked with in 47 years of coaching helped make the journey remarkable. Every stop that we have made, there were good people who were unbelievably helpful and supportive."
Vice President and Athletics Director Joe Castiglione:
"What a tremendous and incredibly well-deserved honor for Lon. He was a quintessential coach and a wonderful leader of countless young men everywhere he's been. We are all beneficiaries of his dedication to the game of basketball. At OU, we are especially grateful for his significant impact on our program during his 10 years here. Lon obviously developed fantastic players and teams during his career, but his success transcended the outcome of any games or seasons. He truly led by example, using his passion for the game and his role as a teacher or coach to help his players grow in ways that extend beyond the basketball court. He was a model of humility, integrity and genuine kindness; the type of person we'd all want to coach our sons. But he was also a fierce competitor, brought innovation to the game and invested himself in the profession by selflessly serving others every step of the way. Also, his community impact wherever he's been is legendary, especially his unwavering commitment to raising money for the fight against cancer. He has left an indelible mark on all of us. We send our heartfelt gratitude as well as sincere congratulations to Lon and Barb – a true team – on his induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame."
