Adolph Rupp, the Head Coach at the University of Kentucky from 1930 to 1972, is an absolute legend and one of the very best coaches in basketball history. His 876 career wins would have likely been far greater if he wasn’t forced into retirement at the age of 70, which was the mandatory retirement age in Kentucky at that time.
The fact that Bob Huggins passed up one of the most decorated and accomplished coaches ever is absolutely remarkable. Win 877 for Huggins puts him in rarefied air, with only the Mount Rushmore of college coaches ahead of him.
Huggins is only three wins away from passing Dean Smith, the long-time legendary head coach of the North Carolina Tarheels. The only coaches ahead of him will then be Roy Williams, Jim Calhoun, Bob Knight, Jim Boeheim and Mike Krzyzewski. That’s a very short, elite group of legendary basketball coaches, and the only thing that separates those coaches from Bob Huggins is a national championship. This team – loaded with talent, size and depth – gives Huggins a real chance of adding a national championship this season.
While winning a national championship won’t make or break Huggins’ career, it would certainly put him in the same company as those coaches from a national perspective. West Virginia fans know how great Bob Huggins is, but unfortunately that elusive national championship will keep him out of the conversation as one of the best ever in the minds of fans and experts nationally until he wins one.
In the hearts and minds of West Virginians, Bob Huggins is the greatest of all time and his impressive accomplishment today is now undeniable proof of that. A national championship would be a very nice addition to an already outstanding career.
