COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Charles “Lefty” Driesell, the Corridor of Fame coach whose standard voice belied a fiery on-court demeanor that put Maryland on the faculty basketball map and allowed him to rebuild a number of struggling applications, died Saturday. He was 92 years outdated.
Maryland introduced Driesell's dying. His nephew, Ty Anderson, an assistant coach at Wofford, instructed The Washington Submit that Driesell died at his dwelling in Virginia Seaside, Virginia.
Driesell completed with 786 wins over 5 a long time and was the primary coach to win greater than 100 video games at 4 NCAA Division I faculties. He began at Davidson in 1960 earlier than bringing Maryland to nationwide prominence from 1969 to 1986, a keep that ended with the cocaine-induced dying 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 transcend wins and losses, and he's gained so much,” former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski mentioned after Driesell was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Corridor of Fame in 2018. “It's a well-deserved honor a very long time. “
Driesell began the faculty basketball custom generally known as Midnight Insanity on October 15, 1971. At three minutes previous midnight on the primary day of follow, as sanctioned by the NCAA, Driesell requested his gamers to make a compulsory run on the courtroom inside Maryland soccer. stage.
Lighting was offered by the headlights of some vehicles parked at one finish of the stadium. The motivation got here from Driesell's urging and the estimated 800 college students who gathered to look at the unpublicized occasion.
“I've performed plenty of loopy issues to get consideration, however this wasn't one among them,” Driesell mentioned years later. “I simply tried to get to follow early. I had no thought what it was going to result in.”
Driesell and Charlie Scott
Driesell additionally helped break down racial boundaries within the school recreation. Made George Raveling the primary black coach within the Atlantic Coast Convention, hiring him as an assistant in 1969. Driesell's effort to recruit Charlie Scott to play at Davidson made the long run NBA star the primary African-American athlete who attended North Carolina.
Scott initially dedicated to Davidson earlier than selecting UNC, however acknowledged 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 to attend North Carolina,” mentioned Scott, who joined the Corridor of Fame in 2018 with Driesell. “My dedication to Davidson actually opened up all the opposite faculties within the recruiting course of.”
Race performed no think about Driesell's effort to recruit high gamers.
“He did so many nice issues in advertising and marketing the sport and opened so many doorways for a lot of African-American gamers and coaches like myself,” mentioned Len Elmore, who performed for Driesell at Maryland from 1971 to 1974. “Lefty he was a trailblazer and an innovator.”
Strolling onto the Maryland area to the tune of “Hail to the Chief,” Driesell raised each arms within the air — two fingers prolonged on every hand in a V for victory — amid a standing ovation. On the sideline, he would typically stamp his foot to point out his displeasure with a name, and if issues bought actually intense he would rip off his sports activities jacket, throw it on the ground and stomp on it.
Nevertheless, Driesell hardly ever raised his voice off the sphere and had a knack for charming the dad and mom of potential recruits with a protected, down-home model that smacked of his Southern roots.
“He had a giant character, he was an amazing recruiter and he helped put Maryland basketball on the map,” mentioned Brad Davis, some extent guard at Maryland from 1974 to 1977 earlier than heading to the NBA.
“UCLA of the East”
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. Many speculated that this happened as a result of Driesell was compelled to resign at Maryland in 1986 after Bias overdosed on cocaine in an on-campus dormitory after being drafted by the Boston Celtics.
Maryland needed to pay Driesell for the rest of his 10-year contract as a result of they may discover no wrongdoing on his half. However his departure meant Driesell was by no means capable of dwell as much as the declaration he made upon taking up in School Park — he would make Maryland the “UCLA of the East.”
Underneath Driesell, the Terrapins haven't loved the success that John Wood 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 — Driesell's fifth journey to the Finals.
Trying again on his “UCLA of the East” reward, Driesell joked, “I used to be form of drunk or one thing once I mentioned that. However we had been fairly good and we bought fairly good. We had plenty of nice gamers.”
Earlier than Driesell arrived at Maryland, the staff was an ACC doormat and had hassle drawing followers to the outdated Cole Subject Home. After going 13-13 in Driesell's first season, the Terps introduced their revival on January 9, 1971 with a 31-30 additional time victory over No. 2 South Carolina at dwelling. There was no shot clock again then, so Driesell ordered his gamers to sluggish the sport to a crawl in opposition to a staff that had overwhelmed Maryland 96-70 simply three months earlier.
One in all Driesell's greatest groups by no means made the postseason. Within the 1974 ACC Championship Recreation, the fourth-seeded Terrapins misplaced in additional time to then-No. 1 NC State 103-100 in a time when solely the convention champion superior to the NCAA Match.
Per week later, a Maryland staff that includes future NBA starters Tom McMillen, John Lucas and Elmore declined an NIT bid it had earned two years earlier. NC State gained the 1974 NCAA title, ending UCLA's seven-year streak as nationwide champions.
“Lefty's staff that yr,” Krzyzewski mentioned, “was most likely pretty much as good as 20 nationwide champions.”
Begin of coaching
Born on Christmas Day in 1931, Charles Grice Driesell grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He was a star basketball participant at Granby Excessive in Norfolk earlier than attending Duke.
After working at Ford Motor Co., Driesell took a job as a soccer and basketball coach in Granby in 1954 after convincing his spouse, Joyce, that he may face up to the pay lower by additionally promoting encyclopedias. He was ultimately promoted to move varsity coach earlier than transferring 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 11th straight dropping season. He went 9-14 in his debut, one among solely two occasions in a whole season that he would end with a dropping report as a school coach.
Driesell gained three Southern Convention tournaments and 5 regular-season championships at Davidson over 9 years and went 176-65 earlier than committing to Maryland. He gained 348 video games with the Terrapins, a long-standing college report that was lastly damaged in 2006 by Gary Williams.
Williams gained the NCAA title in 2006. When he bought dwelling, there was a word ready for him from Driesell. It learn: “Gary, YOU 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 yr, 20-11 in his second season and led the Dukes to 4 consecutive NITs. appearances earlier than going to the NCAA Match in 1994.
Driesell compiled a 159-111 report 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 Match. Two years later, he retired within the early levels of his 41st season with a profession report of 786-394. On the time, he ranked fourth in NCAA Division I wins, behind solely Dean Smith, Adolph Rupp and Bob Knight.
Lastly, on the age of 71, the person affectionately identified to many as “The Left-Handed Previous Man” had had sufficient.
“I'm drained and I’ve such a chilly and I'm going to retire,” Driesell mentioned. “I can't wait to be out of a job. I can rise up once I need and do what I would like.”
Driesell is survived by his spouse and 4 youngsters.