Lefty Driesell

Charles Grice "Lefty" Driesell (born December 25, 1931) is a retired American college basketball coach. He was the first coach to win more than 100 games at four different NCAA Division I schools, Driesell led the programs of Davidson College, the University of Maryland, James Madison University, and Georgia State University. He earned a reputation as "the greatest program builder in the history of basketball."[1] At the time of his retirement in 2003, he was the fourth-winningest NCAA Division I men's basketball college coach,[2] with 21 seasons of 20 or more wins, and 21 conference or conference tournament titles. Driesell played college basketball at Duke University.

Lefty Driesell
Lefty Driesell in 1976
Biographical details
Born (1931-12-25) December 25, 1931
Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Playing career
1951–1954Duke
Position(s)Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1954–1956Granby HS
1957–1959Newport News HS
1960–1969Davidson
1969–1986Maryland
1988–1996James Madison
1997–2003Georgia State
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1986–1988Maryland (asst. AD)
Head coaching record
Overall786–394 (college)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards
Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2018
College Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2007

Early life

Driesell was born on December 25, 1931, in Norfolk, Virginia to Frank Driesell, a jeweler who had emigrated from Germany.[3][4] In the fourth grade, Driesell received the nickname "Lefty" for his left handedness.[5] He attended Granby High School and quickly became a star on the basketball team. Driesell earned the city's most outstanding player trophy and All-State recognition while leading Granby to the Virginia State Basketball Championship. He was named tournament MVP, totaling 59 points in three games.

Driesell playing for Duke, circa 1952

After graduating high school in 1950, Driesell received a full scholarship to attend Duke University,[3] where he played center on the basketball team under head coach Harold Bradley.[6] Driesell graduated with a bachelor's degree in education in 1954.[3]

Coaching career

After college in 1954, Driesell took an office job with Ford Motor Company. Driesell also found time to renew his playing career by joining the Virginia semi-pro ranks, where he once scored 59 points in a single game and earned a tryout with the then Minneapolis Lakers (later Los Angeles Lakers) of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was also given a chance to enter the coaching profession when his prep alma mater offered him its junior varsity position for both football and basketball. After convincing his wife he could offset a significant pay cut by also selling World Book Encyclopedias part-time, he accepted the job and produced back-to-back unbeaten football teams and a city basketball champion in his first two years.[1]

Driesell was promoted to varsity basketball coach in 1957, going 15–5 before moving to traditional in-state basketball power Newport News High School. There he inherited a team in the midst of a winning streak that he would build to a still-standing state record 57 straight.[7] That unbeaten team won the Virginia Group I State Championship, besting his old Granby squad with four of his former starters. His combined varsity record at the two schools was 97–15.[8]

Davidson
Driesell at Davidson in 1963

Driesell served as the head coach at Davidson from 1960 to 1969. During his tenure his teams won three Southern Conference tournaments and five regular season championships,[9] earning him the Southern Conference Sportswriters Association Coach of the Year award four years running from 1963 to 1966.[10] An excellent recruiter at each of his collegiate coaching stops,[11] Driesell landed Dick Snyder, a first round selection by the St. Louis Hawks.[12] He cinched his wooing of college prospect Don Davidson by telling him "I'll put your name on the front [of your jersey]".[11] When legendary NC State head coach Everett Case attempted to lure Driesell with an assistant position offer Lefty replied, "Coach, I got a better team than you got. Why would I do that?"[11]

Maryland

Driesell was hired by the University of Maryland at College Park in 1969. During his introductory press conference on March 19, 1969, he famously and boldly stated that Maryland "has the potential to be the UCLA of the East Coast or I wouldn’t be here," referring to the nation's dominant college basketball program in the middle of a still unrivaled dynasty.[13] While Driesell fell short of that overreaching goal, he was successful in leading the Terrapins to eight NCAA tournament appearances, a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) championship, two Atlantic Coast Conference regular season championships, and one Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship.[9] Maryland was ranked as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings for four consecutive seasons from 1972 to 1976,[9] and produced a number of All-Americans, including the Number 2 pick in the 1986 NBA draft, Len Bias.

Driesell coached the Maryland Terrapins from 1969 to 1986. In 1974, he signed a can't miss prospect sure to dominate college basketball, 6' 10" center Moses Malone.[8] Instead, Malone opted to join the ABA Utah Stars, becoming the first modern era player to proceed directly from high school into professional basketball;[14] by the time he retired, he'd become a 16-time ABA and NBA All-Star, three-time NBA MVP, and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer. Among other top names during Driesell's Maryland tenure are NBA stars Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, John Lucas, Albert King, Buck Williams Adrian Branch, Brad Davis, and Len Bias.[8] Bias was regarded by many at the time of his draft by the Boston Celtics as potentially as great or greater than fellow ACC legend at rival University of North Carolina Michael Jordan, then emerging as an NBA sensation. He died tragically soon after the night of his selection.

Driesell gives his trademark "V-sign" during his first season at Maryland.

At Maryland, Driesell began the now nationwide tradition of Midnight Madness. According to longstanding NCAA rules, college basketball teams were not permitted to begin practices until October 15. Driesell traditionally began the first practice with a requirement that his players run one mile in six minutes, but found that the players were too fatigued to practice effectively immediately afterwards. At 12:03 a.m. on October 15, 1971, Driesell held a one-mile run at the track around Byrd Stadium, where a crowd of 1,000 fans had gathered after learning of the unorthodox practice session. The event soon became a tradition to build excitement for the basketball team's upcoming season.[15] Midnight Madness has been adopted by many national programs such as UNC, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan State and Duke.[16][17][18][19]

In 1972, Maryland defeated Niagara, 100–69 to secure the NIT championship. Driesell said that the season attained the three goals he had set for the program at the time of his hiring: "national prominence", "national ranking", and "a national championship".[20]

On July 12, 1973, Driesell saved the lives of at least ten children from several burning buildings. He and two other men were surf fishing around midnight in Bethany Beach, Delaware when he saw flames coming from a seashore resort. Driesell broke down a door and rescued several children from the fire that eventually destroyed four townhouses. An eyewitness, Prince George's County circuit court Judge Samuel Meloy, said, "Let's face it, Driesell was a hero. There were no injuries and it was a miracle because firemen didn't come for at least 30 minutes."[21] Driesell said, "Don't build me up as any kind of hero. All we did was try to get the kids out. It was just lucky that we were fishing right in front of the houses."[22] For these actions, Driesell was awarded the NCAA Award of Valor.[23]

In the 1974 ACC men's basketball tournament, Maryland was defeated by North Carolina State University in overtime 103–100, eliminating it from participating in that season's NCAA basketball tournament. Many consider it to be one of the greatest college basketball games of all time.[24][25][26][27] NC State eventually went on to win the 1974 National Championship, with Maryland finishing No. 4 in the final Associated Press poll. One great team knocking the other out of the NCAA Tournament prompted its officials to make a landmark decision the next year, expanding its field from 23 to 32 teams, thereby potentially opening the door for more than one team from a conference.[28] Today, that field has been enlarged to 68 teams.

Later in 1974, Maryland represented the United States in the 1974 FIBA Intercontinental Cup that was held in Mexico. There, Driesell successfully led his team to the title after finishing with an unbeaten 5–0 record against Varese from Italy, Vila Nova from Brazil, Real Madrid from Spain, and Panteras de Aguascalientes and Dorados de Chihuahua from Mexico.[29]

He had his detractors despite achieving a relative level of success at Maryland. Clemson head coach Tates Locke famously said about facing Driesell's Terrapins, "Keep me even until the last two minutes and I'll win." Paul Attner of The Washington Post wrote, "...Put him in a situation where players from both teams have equal ability and are prepared just as well, and he falls short much of the time. It is at these moments when it is glaringly apparent Driesell is not among that small number of coaches who can be called 'great'...Once Driesell is placed in a position where pressure decision-making, not hard work, produces a victory, he has problems."[30]

In 1984, Driesell led the team to the school's second ACC Tournament Championship.[31] In December 1985, the university gave Driesell a ten-year contract extension. Earlier that same year, Driesell was made an Honorary M Club member. On June 19, 1986, Terrapin star Len Bias died of a cocaine-induced heart attack. A subsequent investigation revealed that Bias had exhausted all his athletic eligibility yet was still 21 credits short of a degree. The circumstances surrounding Bias' death threw the University of Maryland and its athletics program into turmoil. An investigation revealed that Bias was 21 credits short of the graduation requirement despite having attended the university for four full years; in his final semester, he earned no academic credits, failing three courses and withdrawing from two others. On August 26, 1986, State's Attorney Arthur A. Marshall Jr. stated that in the hours after Bias' death, Driesell told players to remove drugs from Bias' dorm room. Two days later, Bias' father, James, accused the university and Driesell specifically of neglecting their athletes' academic status.

On October 29, Driesell resigned as head coach and took a position as an assistant athletic director.[8] He also worked as a television analyst during college basketball games.[3] Some members of the media widely described Driesell as a scapegoat of chancellor John B. Slaughter and the university administration.[32][33][34][35]

James Madison

Driesell resumed his career as the head coach of the James Madison University Dukes in 1988,[36] staying until 1996. His teams captured five Colonial Athletic Association regular season championships, one tournament championship,[9] and an appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Georgia State

Driesell then moved to Georgia State, which he led to four Atlantic Sun Conference regular season championships and one tournament championship in six years.[9] He retired from coaching on January 3, 2003, in the middle of his 41st season as a head coach, ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division I wins behind only Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp, and Bob Knight.[4] Driesell is the only basketball coach to win at least 100 games at four different colleges.[37] Driesell led four of his squads to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight, but was unable to ever advance to its Final Four.[4] Driesell's final record was 786–394.[9]

Honors and awards

Driesell earned conference Coach of the Year honors at each of his destinations. He was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year four times at Davidson (1963–1966), twice named the Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year at Maryland (1975 and 1980), twice named the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year at James Madison (1990 and 1992), and once named the Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year at Georgia State (2001).[38]

Driesell was awarded the NCAA Award of Valor for helping save lives from a July 12, 1973 structure fire.[39]

In 1995, Driesell was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. On April 2, 2007, Driesell was inducted as a member of the second class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.[40] The University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame inducted Driesell in 2002.[41] On August 13, 2008, he was inducted as a member of the inaugural class of the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame, which honors athletes, coaches, and administrators who made contributions to sports in southeastern Virginia.[42] On May 25, 2011, Driesell was inducted into the Southern Conference Hall of Fame.[11]

In 2003, Georgia State University dedicated their basketball court to Driesell.[43]

On April 2, 2010, the first annual Lefty Driesell Award for the best defensive player in NCAA Division I basketball was bestowed upon its first recipient, Jarvis Varnado of Mississippi State.[44]

In February 2017, the University of Maryland hung a banner in the Xfinity Center to honor his career at the university. Lefty accepted the honor alongside of numerous former players, assistant coaches, and family.[45]

Driesell was nominated numerous times for the Basketball Hall of Fame, receiving wide support from contemporaries.[39] In 2018, Driesell was selected for induction into the Hall of Fame.[46] He was formally inducted on September 7, 2018.

Personal life

While a student at Duke University, Driesell eloped with his wife, Joyce on December 14, 1952. The two had met while in the ninth and eighth grades, respectively.[4] The couple has four children. His son, Chuck, was hired as an assistant on the Maryland coaching staff under Gary Williams in 2006,[47] and served from 2010 to 2015 as the head basketball coach at The Citadel.[48] Chuck also served as an assistant for his father while at JMU. While coaching under his father, saw firsthand just how hard his dad worked. "Dad gave me a lot of responsibility, and we worked hard. As a son and as a player, I'm not sure I understood how hard he worked. I figured it out pretty quickly."[49] Chuck is currently the head coach at the Maret School in Washington, D.C.

Driesell is a Presbyterian, but has often attended churches affiliated with other Christian denominations.[4] One of his three daughters, Pam, is a pastor at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.[50] In 2003, Driesell retired to Virginia Beach, Virginia with his wife.[51]

Head coaching record

College
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Davidson Wildcats (Southern Conference) (1960–1969)
1960–61 Davidson 9–142–109th
1961–62 Davidson 14–115–65th
1962–63 Davidson 20–78–32nd
1963–64 Davidson 22–49–21st
1964–65 Davidson 24–212–01st
1965–66 Davidson 21–711–11stNCAA University Division Sweet 16
1966–67 Davidson 15–128–42nd
1967–68 Davidson 24–59–11stNCAA University Division Elite Eight
1968–69 Davidson 27–39–01stNCAA University Division Elite Eight
Davidson: 176–65 (.730)73–27 (.730)
Maryland Terrapins (Atlantic Coast Conference) (1969–1986)
1969–70 Maryland 13–135–96th
1970–71 Maryland 14–125–9T–6th
1971–72 Maryland 27–58–43rdNIT champions
1972–73 Maryland 23–77–5T–2ndNCAA University Division Elite Eight
1973–74 Maryland 23–59–3T–2nd
1974–75 Maryland 24–510–21stNCAA Division I Elite Eight
1975–76 Maryland 22–67–5T–2nd
1976–77 Maryland 19–87–54th
1977–78 Maryland 15–133–9T–6th
1978–79 Maryland 19–116–64thNIT Second Round
1979–80 Maryland 24–711–31stNCAA Division I Sweet 16
1980–81 Maryland 21–108–64thNCAA Division I Second Round
1981–82 Maryland 16–135–95thNIT Second Round
1982–83 Maryland 20–108–6T–3rdNCAA Division I Second Round
1983–84 Maryland 24–89–52ndNCAA Division I Sweet 16
1984–85 Maryland 25–128–6T–4thNCAA Division I Sweet 16
1985–86 Maryland 19–146–86thNCAA Division I Second Round
Maryland: 348–159 (.686)122–100 (.550)
James Madison Dukes (Colonial Athletic Association) (1988–1997)
1988–89 James Madison 16–146–8T–5th
1989–90 James Madison 20–1111–31stNIT First Round
1990–91 James Madison 19–1012–21stNIT First Round
1991–92 James Madison 21–1112–2T–1stNIT First Round
1992–93 James Madison 21–911–3T–1stNIT First Round
1993–94 James Madison 20–1010–4T–1stNCAA Division I First Round
1994–95 James Madison 16–139–53rd
1995–96 James Madison 10–206–10T–5th
1996–97 James Madison 16–138–8T–5th
James Madison: 159–111 (.589)85–45 (.654)
Georgia State Panthers (Trans America Athletic Conference / Atlantic Sun Conference) (1997–2003)
1997–98 Georgia State 16–1211–51st (West)
1998–99 Georgia State 17–1311–53rd
1999–00 Georgia State 17–1213–5T–1st
2000–01 Georgia State 29–516–21stNCAA Division I Second Round
2001–02 Georgia State 20–1114–6T–1stNIT Opening Round
2002–03 Georgia State 4–6
Georgia State: 103–59 (.636)65–23 (.739)
Total:786–394 (.666)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

See also

References
  1. "Mercer University Press: Charles "Lefty" Driesell: A Basketball Legend". www.mupress.org. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  2. "No Left Turn". Joe Posnanski. February 20, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
  3. Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary, p. 119, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005, ISBN 0-313-30952-3.
  4. Deford, Frank (January 13, 2003). "Last Of The Lefties After four memorable decades of college coaching, Lefty Driesell abruptly calls it quits". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
  5. Left Is All Right; Everything from staircases to scissors gives the advantage to the dextral. So in a world designed with the right hand in mind, why is it that so many lefties are great athletes?, Sports Illustrated, March 9, 2005.
  6. Charles "Lefty" Driesell, Duke University, December 14, 2005.
  7. "Davidson College" (PDF). www.davidsonwildcats.com. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  8. Milestones in Driesell's Career, The Washington Post, October 30, 1986.
  9. Lefty Driesell Coaching Record Archived October 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Sports Reference, retrieved June 8, 2011.
  10. Driesell Named SC Coach of the Year 4th Straight Time, Herald-Journal, March 17, 1966.
  11. Lefty Driesell among six inducted, ESPN, March 25, 2011.
  12. Paul McMullen, Maryland Basketball: Tales from Cole Field House, p. 50, JHU Press, 2002, ISBN 0-8018-7221-9.
  13. Steinberg, Dan. "Lefty Driesell on the origins of 'UCLA of the East,'" The Washington Post, Friday, April 19, 2013. (Also includes a photograph of William Gildea's written account of the introductory press conference from the newspaper's Thursday, March 20, 1969 issue.) Retrieved January 28, 2020
  14. Goldstein, Richard, "Moses Malone, 76ers' 'Chairman of the Boards,' Dies at 60", New York Times, September 13, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  15. He made midnight a time for madness; The college basketball tradition that resumes tonight began in 1971 with Maryland's Lefty Driesell, St. Petersburg Times, October 13, 2006.
  16. Davis, Seth. "The story how Lefty Driesell started Midnight Madness at Maryland". SI.com. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  17. "College basketball: Midnight Madness 2016 times and dates". NCAA.com. October 20, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  18. "Midnight Madness: MSU's Tom Izzo trades in HOF jacket for 'lab coat'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  19. "College basketball: UNC, Kentucky kick off seasons with Midnight Madness-style events". NCAA.com. October 14, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  20. Terps attain two of their three goals set by coach Driesell, The Free Lance-Star, March 27, 1972.
  21. Driesell lauded for heroism Archived November 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The Baltimore Sun, December 28, 1973.
  22. Driesell To The Rescue, The Milwaukee Journal, July 21, 1973.
  23. NCAA Award of Valor Recipients, National Collegiate Athletic Association, retrieved June 4, 2011.
  24. "Classic 1974 NC State-Maryland ACC title clash hits 40-year mark | FOX Sports". FOX Sports. March 12, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  25. "The Greatest College Basketball Game Ever Played". home.earthlink.net. Archived from the original on May 2, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  26. StateFans (March 9, 2009). "35th Anniversary of Greatest College Game Ever Played". StateFans Nation. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  27. "40 Years Later, It Might Still Be Best College Hoops Game Played". Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  28. "This overtime lasts 25 years". tribunedigital-baltimoresun. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  29. "Intercontinental Cup 1974". www.linguasport.com. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  30. Attner, Paul. "On Scale of 1 to 10, Driesell's About 8," The Washington Post, Sunday, January 23, 1977. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  31. Driesell Keeps Perspective, Star-News, March 10, 1984.
  32. Lefty is a scapegoat, The Robesonian, November 6, 1986.
  33. SPORTS WORLD SPECIALS; Driesell Reflects, The New York Times, June 8, 1987.
  34. What Did Driesell Do Wrong?, Schenectady Gazette, November 7, 1986.
  35. Take goat horns off Lefty, Gainesville Sun, June 16, 1987.
  36. Comeback for Lefty Driesell: New Coach at James Madison, The Los Angeles Times, April 10, 1988.
  37. KENT BAZEMORE WINS THE 2011 LEFTY DRIESELL AWARD, CollegeInsider.com, April 1, 2011.
  38. Atlantic Sun Recordbook (PDF), Atlantic Sun Conference, p. 6, 2010.
  39. Posnanski, Joe (January 3, 2017). "Will Lefty Driesell ever get in the Hall of Fame?". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  40. Class of 2007 Archived July 14, 2012, at archive.today, The College Basketball Experience at Sprint Center, retrieved June 4, 2011.
  41. University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame: All-Time Inductees Archived July 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, University of Maryland, retrieved June 12, 2009.
  42. Portsmouth sports legend's loyalty to the city makes him an ace among men Archived May 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, The Virginian-Pilot, August 13, 2008.
  43. "Lefty returns: Georgia State dedicates court to Driesell". AccessWDUN. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  44. Jarvis Varnado Wins Driesell Award Archived September 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, My Fox Memphis, April 2, 2010.
  45. Markus, Don. "Maryland unveils Lefty Driesell banner in pregame ceremony". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  46. "'It means everything': Former Maryland coach Lefty Driesell elected to Naismith Hall of Fame".
  47. Eric Prisbell, C. Driesell is hired as Maryland assistant, The Washington Post, June 3, 2006.
  48. "Chuck Driesell departing Citadel". ESPN. March 9, 2015. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  49. https://www.pressreader.com/usa/the-washington-post-sunday/20170226/282398399192374. Retrieved April 17, 2017 – via PressReader. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  50. Walton, Carroll Rogers (November 29, 2010). "Lefty Driesell's legacy lives on in daughter Pam, son Chuck". AJC.com. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 20, 2016.
  51. Driesell's follow-up could be a shot at scouting for Hawks Archived September 26, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The Baltimore Sun, January 11, 2003.
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