Duke men’s basketball legend Charles “Lefty” Driesell passed away Saturday, per a program release. He was 92.
“As a coach, Lefty was the ultimate winner. He led some of the greatest players and teams in the storied history of the Atlantic Coast Conference while he was at Maryland,” said former head coach Mike Krzyzewski in the release. “He and his late wife Joyce served as splendid examples for all of us and their impact on not only basketball, but everyone they touched, was immeasurable. While they are now both gone from this world, they forever remain. We wish the best to Lefty’s family as they mourn and celebrate a genuinely great man.”
Driesell was a player on the team for two seasons in 1953-54 before graduating in 1954. He proceeded on to have a 41-year head coaching career, holding the position at four Division-I programs, advancing all four schools to the NCAA tournament. He won nine conference Coach of the Year awards across four conferences (Southern, ACC, CAA, Atlantic Sun), and retired in 2003 with a career record of 786-394. He was also the first head coach to surpass 100 wins at four different schools.
Driesell was inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 to honor his playing career, as well as the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2018. The Lefty Driesell national award is given to the best defensive player in the country each year, an honor created by the NCAA in 2010.
“Today we mourn the loss of one of college basketball’s outstanding coaches and great men, Lefty Driesell…” said current head coach Jon Scheyer. “Over the years, I had the privilege of interacting with Lefty several times and he was always so down-to-earth and relatable. Any time with Lefty was thoroughly enjoyable. We were blessed he was with us for so long. On behalf of our program, we offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends he impacted so profoundly.”
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Rachael Kaplan is a Trinity senior and a senior editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.