Bob Huggins

Bob Huggins: biography

Bob Huggins is a well-known American college basketball coach who currently works as a head coach of the West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball team.

Childhood and youth

Bob Huggins was born on September 21, 1953, in Morgantown, West Virginia. He grew up in a sports-oriented family, with both of his parents being high school coaches. His father, Charlie Huggins, was a legendary high school basketball coach in Ohio and West Virginia, and his mother, Norma Huggins, was a successful high school track and field coach.

Huggins attended Indian Valley South High School in Gnadenhutten, Ohio, where he played basketball and baseball. He was a standout athlete in both sports, earning All-Ohio honors in basketball his senior year. After graduating from high school, Huggins enrolled at Ohio University, where he played basketball for one season before transferring to West Virginia University.

At West Virginia, Huggins played for legendary coach Joedy Gardner and was a key contributor on the 1975-76 team that advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. He earned his bachelor's degree in physical education from WVU in 1977 and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the university the following year.

Throughout his childhood and youth, Huggins was deeply influenced by his parents' dedication to coaching and the values of hard work and discipline that they instilled in him. These values would serve him well throughout his coaching career, helping him to achieve success both on and off the court.

Coaching career

Bob Huggins began his coaching career in 1978 as a graduate assistant at West Virginia University. He then moved on to coach at Walsh College and Akron before taking over as head coach at his alma mater, Cincinnati, in 1989. Huggins quickly turned the Bearcats into a national powerhouse, leading them to 14 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1992 to 2005. During this time, Cincinnati won four Conference USA regular-season titles and three conference tournament championships.

In 2005, Huggins was forced to resign from Cincinnati due to off-court issues, but he quickly landed on his feet at Kansas State, where he coached for one season before accepting the head coaching job at his alma mater, West Virginia, in 2007. Huggins has since led the Mountaineers to 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including a Final Four run in 2010 and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2021. He has also won three Big East regular-season titles and one Big 12 regular-season title.

Bob Huggins took over the West Virginia University men's basketball program in 2007, inheriting a team that had struggled in recent years. However, Huggins quickly turned things around, leading the Mountaineers to a 26-11 record and a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in his first season.

Over the next decade and a half, Huggins would establish West Virginia as one of the premier programs in college basketball. He led the team to four conference championships and a Final Four appearance in 2010, and his teams became known for their tenacious defense and physicality.

Huggins' success at West Virginia was built on a foundation of hard work and discipline. He demanded excellence from his players both on and off the court, and his relentless focus on the fundamentals of the game helped to develop a winning culture within the program.

Throughout his tenure at West Virginia, Huggins has earned widespread admiration and respect from fans, players, and fellow coaches alike. He has been recognized with numerous coaching awards and honors, and his teams have consistently been among the most exciting and competitive in college basketball.

As Huggins enters his 17th season at West Virginia in 2023, he remains one of the sport's most accomplished and respected coaches, and his continued leadership of the Mountaineers promises to be a source of excitement and inspiration for years to come.

Huggins is known for his intense coaching style and emphasis on defense. He is one of the winningest coaches in NCAA Division I men's basketball history, with over 800 career wins to his name. He has also been named National Coach of the Year several times, including in 1998 and 2002, and has been inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Bob Huggins is happily married to the woman named June, with whom he has two daughters, Jenna and Jacqueline.

Off the court, Huggins is known for his dedication to fitness and health. He is an avid runner and has completed several marathons and half-marathons. Huggins has also been involved in numerous charitable and philanthropic endeavors throughout his career, including the Norma Mae Huggins Cancer Research Endowment Fund, which he established in honor of his mother, who passed away from cancer in 2003. The fund supports cancer research at the WVU Cancer Institute.

He is widely respected and admired for his dedication to his family, his community, and his team, and is known for his passion and intensity both on and off the court.

Awards

Bob Huggins has won numerous awards throughout his career as a college basketball head coach. Here are some of his most notable awards:

• National Coach of the Year: 1998 (Basketball Times), 2002 (AP)
• Conference Coach of the Year: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 (Conference USA); 2006, 2008, 2010 (Big East); 2015 (Big 12)
• Clair Bee Coach of the Year: 2010
• Naismith Outstanding Contribution to Basketball Award: 2016
• John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award: 2017
• Lapchick Character Award: 2018
• Joe Lapchick Character Award: 2021