Lute Olson - Coaching Highlights

Coaching Highlights

At Long Beach City College

At Long Beach State University

At the University of Iowa

Two time Big Ten Coach of the Year (1979, 1981)
Led Iowa to Big Ten Championship (1979)
Led Iowa to NCAA Final Four (1980)
Led Iowa to 5 consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament to finish his career there, a record at the time
Left Iowa as the winningest coach in school history with a 168-90 record (.651)

At the University of Arizona

Seven time Pac-10 Coach of the Year (1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2003)
Led Arizona to 11 Pac-10 championships (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005)
Led Arizona to 20 consecutive 20-win seasons
Averaged nearly 25 victories per year in over 20 years at Arizona
Owns second best winning percentage (.764) in Pac-10 history (327-101), behind John Wooden (.810)
Has more Pac-10 wins (327) than any other coach in history, including John Wooden, who coached before UCLA joined the modern Pac-10
Led Arizona to four NCAA Final Four appearances (1988, 1994, 1997, 2001) and one NCAA Championship (1997)
Arizona's 1997 team is the only one in NCAA history to beat three No. 1 seeds in the same tournament
While at Arizona, one of only five head coaches in NCAA history to record 26 or more 20-win seasons
Guided Arizona to 11 NCAA Sweet 16 appearances in 18 years
Arizona's 25 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (23 under Lute Olson) is the second longest streak in NCAA history (behind North Carolina's 27)
Initiated as a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity

NCAA tournament records

Tied for most NCAA tournament appearances with 28
Third in NCAA tournament games coached with 74
Fourth in NCAA tournament wins with 46
Compiled a 25-12 (.676) record in his last 35 NCAA Tournament games
28 of his last 29 teams have advanced to the NCAA Tournament (23 straight at Arizona and 5 straight at Iowa)

Career records

Awards