Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski turns 74: Celebrating his college basketball career milestones
DURHAM, N.C. — Arguably the greatest college basketball coach of all time celebrates his 74th birthday Saturday.
Michael William Krzyzewski, known simply as Coach K, was born Feb. 13, 1947, in Chicago, a son of working-class Polish immigrants.
He was a point guard at Army from 1966 to 1969 under head coach Bob Knight and began his own head coaching career in 1975 at Army. After five seasons at West Point, he was hired at Duke on May, 4, 1980.
The rest, you could say, is history.
Over the last 41 years, Coach K has built Duke into a national powerhouse, winning five national titles and becoming the first Division I men’s coach to reach 1,000 wins.
In those 41 years, Krzyzewski has coached on his birthday 13 times. Saturday’s 69-53 win against North Carolina State marks No. 14.
It’s possible, though, it could be his last.
There have been whispers of his retirement that began last year after he told a Philadelphia radio station that, “I’m 73. At some time, that’s got to end.”
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Krzyzewski has a verbal lifelong contract with Duke University, but his official contract, which dictates how much he’s paid, runs through the 2021 season.
rife with pandemic stoppages and troubling on-the-court losses, has taken a toll on the Hall of Fame coach.
“You know, whether it’s the light at the end of the tunnel or the end of the cave or whatever the hell it is, it’s there,” Coach K said in an interview with ESPN’s Rece Davis last week. “Whenever it happens, it’s going to happen. I can’t be focused on that. I’m focused on this team.”
