Lefty Driesell, coach who put Maryland on college basketball’s map, dies at 92

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Lefty Driesell, the Corridor of Fame coach whose folksy drawl belied a fiery on-court demeanor that put Maryland on the faculty basketball map and enabled him to rebuild a number of struggling packages, died Saturday. He was 92.

Driesell died at his residence in Virginia Seashore, Virginia, his household mentioned.

Maryland deliberate to honor Driesell with a second of silence earlier than its recreation towards No. 14 Illinois later Saturday. The college mentioned the group would put on throwback uniforms from the Seventies beforehand worn on Jan. 21, when the Terrapins honored Driesell with an “Ode to Lefty.”

Driesell completed with 786 victories over components of 5 a long time and was the primary coach to win greater than 100 video games at 4 NCAA Division I colleges. He began at Davidson in 1960 earlier than bringing Maryland into nationwide prominence from 1969-86, a keep that ended with the cocaine-induced loss of life of All-American Len Bias.

Driesell then gained 5 regular-season convention titles over 9 seasons at James Madison and completed with a profitable run at Georgia State from 1997 to 2003.

“His contributions to the sport go approach past wins and losses, and he gained lots,” former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski mentioned after Driesell lastly made the Naismith Memorial Basketball Corridor of Fame in 2018. “It is an honor he is deserved for a very long time.”

Driesell launched the faculty basketball custom generally known as Midnight Insanity on Oct. 15, 1971. At three minutes after midnight on the primary day of apply as sanctioned by the NCAA, Driesell had his gamers take a compulsory mile run on the observe contained in the Maryland soccer stadium.

The lighting was supplied by the headlights of some automobiles parked at one finish of the stadium. The motivation got here from Driesell’s prodding and the estimated 800 college students who gathered to look at the unpublicized occasion.

“I’ve finished lots of loopy issues to get consideration, however that wasn’t one in every of them,” Driesell mentioned years later. “I used to be simply attempting to get an early leap on apply. I had no thought what it was going to result in.”

Driesell additionally helped knock down racial boundaries within the faculty recreation. He made George Raveling the primary Black coach within the Atlantic Coast Convention by hiring him as an assistant in 1969. Driesell’s effort to recruit Charlie Scott to play at Davidson helped make the long run NBA star turn into the primary African American scholarship athlete to attend North Carolina.

Scott initially dedicated to Davidson earlier than selecting UNC however acknowledged that Driesell paved the way in which.

“I feel if there had by no means been a Lefty Driesell, there would by no means have been a Charlie Scott attending North Carolina,” mentioned Scott, who joined the Corridor of Fame in 2018 with Driesell. “My dedication to go to Davidson actually opened up all the opposite colleges within the recruiting course of.”

Race performed no think about Driesell’s effort to recruit the perfect gamers.

“He did so many nice issues in advertising and marketing the sport and opened up so many doorways for a lot of African Individuals gamers and coaches like myself,” mentioned Len Elmore, who performed for Driesell at Maryland from 1971-74. “Lefty was a trailblazer and an innovator.”

Strolling onto the courtroom at Maryland to the tune of “Hail to the Chief,” Driesell would thrust each arms within the air — two fingers prolonged on every hand with the V for victory signal — amid a standing ovation. On the sideline, he would usually stomp his foot to point out his displeasure with a name, and if issues obtained actually intense he would peel off his sports activities jacket, toss it to the ground and trample it.

But, Driesell hardly ever raised his voice off the courtroom and had a knack for charming the dad and mom of potential recruits with an assuring, homespun fashion that smacked of his Southern roots.

“He had an enormous persona, was a superb recruiter and he helped put Maryland basketball on the map,” mentioned Brad Davis, a guard at Maryland from 1974-77 earlier than heading to the NBA.

Driesell was inducted into the School Basketball Corridor of Fame in 2007, however his entry into the Naismith shrine proved extra elusive. He was a finalist 4 occasions earlier than receiving the required 75% vote three months after his 86th birthday. The lengthy snub, many speculated, got here as a result of Driesell was pressured to resign at Maryland in 1986 after Bias overdosed on cocaine in a campus dorm after being drafted by the Boston Celtics.

Maryland needed to pay Driesell for the remainder of his 10-year contract as a result of it may discover no wrongdoing on his half. However his departure meant Driesell by no means obtained to meet the declaration he made upon taking on in School Park — he would make Maryland the “UCLA of the East.”

Beneath Driesell, the Terrapins did not benefit from the success John Picket had at UCLA. Maryland failed to succeed in the Last 4 throughout his 17-year keep, however the Terps gained or shared 5 ACC regular-season titles and captured the league event in 1984 — on Driesell’s fifth journey to the ultimate.

Trying again on his “UCLA of the East” boast, Driesell quipped: “I used to be sort of drunk or one thing after I mentioned it. However we had been fairly good and we wound up fairly good. We had lots of nice gamers.”

Earlier than Driesell arrived at Maryland, the group was an ACC doormat and had hassle drawing followers to previous Cole Area Home. After going 13-13 in Driesell’s first season, the Terps introduced their resurgence on Jan. 9, 1971, with a 31-30 time beyond regulation upset of No. 2 South Carolina at residence. There was no shot clock then, so Driesell ordered his gamers to gradual the sport to a crawl towards a group that had defeated Maryland 96-70 simply three weeks earlier.

One in all Driesell’s greatest groups by no means made it to the postseason. Within the 1974 ACC championship recreation, the fourth-ranked Terrapins misplaced in time beyond regulation to No. 1 North Carolina State 103-100 throughout a time when solely the convention champion superior to the NCAA Event.

Every week later, a Maryland group that includes future NBA starters Tom McMillen, John Lucas and Elmore turned down a bid to the NIT, which it had gained two years earlier. N.C. State went on to win the 1974 NCAA title, ending UCLA’s seven-year streak as nationwide champions.

“Lefty’s group that 12 months,” Krzyzewski mentioned, “was most likely nearly as good as 20 nationwide champions.”

Born on Christmas Day in 1931, Charles Grice Driesell grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He was a star basketball participant for Granby Excessive in Norfolk earlier than attending Duke.

After working on the Ford Motor Co., Driesell took a job as a junior varsity soccer and basketball coach at Granby in 1954 after convincing his spouse, Joyce, that he may stand up to the pay minimize by additionally promoting encyclopedias. He ultimately was promoted to move coach of the varsity group earlier than shifting to Newport Information Excessive, the place he gained 57 straight video games.

In 1960, he took a job at Davidson, which was coming off an eleventh consecutive dropping season. He went 9-14 in his debut, one in every of solely two occasions over a whole season wherein he would end with a dropping file as a university coach.

Driesell gained three Southern Convention tournaments and 5 regular-season championships at Davidson over 9 years and went 176-65 earlier than being employed at Maryland. He gained 348 video games with the Terrapins, a long-lasting college file that was lastly damaged in 2006 by Gary Williams.

Williams gained the NCAA title in 2002. When he obtained residence, a notice from Driesell was ready for him. It learn: “Gary, YOU have made Maryland the UCLA of the East. Congratulations.”

After leaving Maryland, Driesell was employed in 1988 by James Madison, a small Virginia college that completed 10-18 in 1987. He went 16-14 in his first 12 months, 20-11 in his second season and led the Dukes to 4 straight NIT appearances earlier than going to the NCAA Event in 1994.

Driesell compiled a 159-111 file at James Madison and loved continued success at Georgia State. The Panthers had been 29-5 in 2000-01 and upset Wisconsin within the opening spherical of the NCAA Event. Two years later, he retired within the early levels of his forty first season with a profession file of 786-394. On the time, he ranked fourth in NCAA Division I wins, behind solely Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp and Bob Knight.

Lastly, at age 71, the person affectionately identified by many because the Ol’ Left-hander had sufficient.

“I am simply drained and I’ve obtained this unhealthy chilly and I am simply going to retire,” Driesell mentioned. “I am trying ahead to not having a job. I can rise up after I need to and do what I need to.”

Driesell is survived by 4 kids. Whereas at Duke, Driesell eloped with Joyce and obtained married in December 1952. She died in 2021.

The couple’s solely son, Chuck, performed for the Terrapins underneath his father from 1981-85 and have become an assistant to his father at James Madison. He was employed because the coach at The Citadel in 2010 and was fired after 5 dropping seasons.

Whereas serving to his father at James Madison, Chuck Driesell realized the pains of teaching.

“Dad gave me lots of duty, and we labored exhausting,” he mentioned. “As a son and as a participant, I am unsure I understood how exhausting he labored. I figured it out fairly shortly.”