Lefty Driesell to be Inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
3/31/2018 12:12:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
DavidsonPhotos.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Former Davidson men's basketball head coach Charles "Lefty" Driesell, has been elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as officially announced Saturday at the Final Four in San Antonio.
Driesell, who coached the Wildcats from 1960-69, will be inducted in September in Springfield, Mass., along with
Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Ray Allen, Maurice Cheeks, Tina Thompson, Charlie Scott, Rick Welts, Rod Thorn, Dino Radja, Katie Smith and Ora Mae Washington.
In nine seasons at Davidson, Driesell guided the Wildcats to a 176-65 record, five regular season titles, three Southern Conference Tournament crowns (1966, 1968 and 1969) and Elite Eight appearances in 1968 and 1969.
Voted Southern Conference Coach of the Year four times, Driesell's Davidson teams were ranked nationally among the Top-10 four times, including as high as second in 1969.
In addition, several of his recruits - Fred Hetzel '65 and Dick Snyder '66 - were first-team All-Americans, and both enjoyed successful careers in the National Basketball Association.
Second on Davidson's all-time win's list behind current head coach Bob McKillop, Driesell led the Wildcats to six-straight 20-win seasons.
Following his tenure at Davidson, Driesell would enjoy coaching stints at Maryland (1969-86), James Madison (1988-96) and Georgia State (1997-2003), becoming the first in NCAA history to win more than 100 games at four different Division I schools.
In all, Driesell won 786 games (12th in DI history), earned nine conference coach-of-the-year honors and led his teams to 21 postseason season appearances – 13 NCAA and 8 NIT.
Driesell is also a member of the Davidson, Maryland, Southern Conference, Virginia Sports and College Basketball Hall of Fames.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Today, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is home to more than three hundred inductees and more than 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Located on the picturesque banks of the Connecticut River, the new museum is a fitting shrine to the game Dr. Naismith invented more than a century ago.
The landmark structure is one of the world's most distinctive monuments punctuating the Springfield skyline and stirring the spirits of basketball fans everywhere. Hundreds of interactive exhibits share the spotlight with skills challenges, live clinics, and shooting contests. And of course there is enough basketball history to impress the world's most avid sports fans!
After decades of growth, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2009. It has evolved from its humble origins to become Hoops Heaven... the earthly home of the game's immortals.
What They're Saying About Lefty Driesell…
"What Lefty Driesell accomplished at Davidson College in the 1960's is one of the greatest success stories in college basketball history. To build a top-academic college with an enrollment of 1,000 men into becoming a basketball powerhouse was extraordinary. Lefty turned Davidson into a Top-10 program with All-Americans, first round draft picks, and consistent sell out crowds at the Charlotte Coliseum. He used this same recipe for success to bring the University of Maryland to unprecedented levels of success. Lefty richly deserves this great honor of being named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame."
– Bob McKillop, Davidson Head Coach
"Great to have been a small part of his dream, and his endless struggle to love a game that didn't always love him back… Until Now! Whoever would have dreamed 60 years ago, that the high school coach recruiting us to play basketball for Davidson College would end up in the Basketball Hall of Fame? From the very beginning, you could tell that Lefty's coaching career would be based on love, sacrifice & perseverance."
– Fred Hetzel, Davidson (1962-65) / 3-Time All-American & 3-Time SoCon Player of the Year
"Very much deserved. What he did at four different schools is unbelievable. I'm very grateful to be part of the team that got it started. Quick comment. Only college basketball scholarship offer I got, maybe because he never saw me play. Average 25 points a game on freshman team. So as I walk on the court to start my sophomore season Lefty says 'You are going to be my defensive stopper.' I took that to heart and made that my primary responsibility for my next three years at Davidson and 13 years in the NBA. I'm serious! Not one game in my whole career did I ever think one thought about how I would score in the locker room before a game. As I reflect on that now, I realize that freed me to always be relaxed on the offensive end and let the game come to me."
– Dick Snyder, Davidson (1963-66) / First-Team All-American, Academic All-American, SoCon Athlete and Men's Basketball Player of the Year
"When I arrived on campus I quickly discovered that Lefty could NOT walk on water as was advertised. However, what he did was just as much a miracle. Grier Martin and Tom Scott took a flier on the least likely of candidates to produce Top-10 teams for the majority of the decade of the Sixties. He was the only one who truly believed Davidson could win the national championship. For fifty years I have maintained that Lefty Dreisell was the hardest working coach in college basketball. He may be the only coach ever, in any collegiate sport, to be able to take four different schools to THE tournament. Each year the Naismith HOF declined to include him, they lost credibility. They are late, but finally got it right."
– Jerry Kroll, Davidson (1967-70) / Two-Time All-Conference
"Lefty's election to the Hall of Fame is right on so many fronts, including exploding the myth that a college coach has to win a national championship to be considered truly great. Maybe Lefty's miracle run at Davidson has become blurred over time. It shouldn't. He took a Davidson program that was unknown and placed it in the nation's Top 10. The late great Dean Smith put it best when he said, "Only Lefty could have accomplished what he did at Davidson. That part of his career, standing alone, merits Hall of Fame status."
– John Kilgo, "Voice of the Wildcats" / Former Davidson Sports Information Director
"Coach Driesell's recent presentation as one of the newest members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is the result of his consistent belief that you can accomplish anything if you are willing to work harder than your competition... CLICK HERE to read more.
– Terry Holland, Davidson (1961-64) / Former Davidson Head Coach and Director of Athletics
DavidsonPhotos.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Former Davidson men's basketball head coach Charles "Lefty" Driesell, has been elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, as officially announced Saturday at the Final Four in San Antonio.
Driesell, who coached the Wildcats from 1960-69, will be inducted in September in Springfield, Mass., along with
Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Ray Allen, Maurice Cheeks, Tina Thompson, Charlie Scott, Rick Welts, Rod Thorn, Dino Radja, Katie Smith and Ora Mae Washington.
In nine seasons at Davidson, Driesell guided the Wildcats to a 176-65 record, five regular season titles, three Southern Conference Tournament crowns (1966, 1968 and 1969) and Elite Eight appearances in 1968 and 1969.
Voted Southern Conference Coach of the Year four times, Driesell's Davidson teams were ranked nationally among the Top-10 four times, including as high as second in 1969.
In addition, several of his recruits - Fred Hetzel '65 and Dick Snyder '66 - were first-team All-Americans, and both enjoyed successful careers in the National Basketball Association.
Second on Davidson's all-time win's list behind current head coach Bob McKillop, Driesell led the Wildcats to six-straight 20-win seasons.
Following his tenure at Davidson, Driesell would enjoy coaching stints at Maryland (1969-86), James Madison (1988-96) and Georgia State (1997-2003), becoming the first in NCAA history to win more than 100 games at four different Division I schools.
In all, Driesell won 786 games (12th in DI history), earned nine conference coach-of-the-year honors and led his teams to 21 postseason season appearances – 13 NCAA and 8 NIT.
Driesell is also a member of the Davidson, Maryland, Southern Conference, Virginia Sports and College Basketball Hall of Fames.
About the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Today, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is home to more than three hundred inductees and more than 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Located on the picturesque banks of the Connecticut River, the new museum is a fitting shrine to the game Dr. Naismith invented more than a century ago.
The landmark structure is one of the world's most distinctive monuments punctuating the Springfield skyline and stirring the spirits of basketball fans everywhere. Hundreds of interactive exhibits share the spotlight with skills challenges, live clinics, and shooting contests. And of course there is enough basketball history to impress the world's most avid sports fans!
After decades of growth, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2009. It has evolved from its humble origins to become Hoops Heaven... the earthly home of the game's immortals.
What They're Saying About Lefty Driesell…
"What Lefty Driesell accomplished at Davidson College in the 1960's is one of the greatest success stories in college basketball history. To build a top-academic college with an enrollment of 1,000 men into becoming a basketball powerhouse was extraordinary. Lefty turned Davidson into a Top-10 program with All-Americans, first round draft picks, and consistent sell out crowds at the Charlotte Coliseum. He used this same recipe for success to bring the University of Maryland to unprecedented levels of success. Lefty richly deserves this great honor of being named to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame."
– Bob McKillop, Davidson Head Coach
"Great to have been a small part of his dream, and his endless struggle to love a game that didn't always love him back… Until Now! Whoever would have dreamed 60 years ago, that the high school coach recruiting us to play basketball for Davidson College would end up in the Basketball Hall of Fame? From the very beginning, you could tell that Lefty's coaching career would be based on love, sacrifice & perseverance."
– Fred Hetzel, Davidson (1962-65) / 3-Time All-American & 3-Time SoCon Player of the Year
"Very much deserved. What he did at four different schools is unbelievable. I'm very grateful to be part of the team that got it started. Quick comment. Only college basketball scholarship offer I got, maybe because he never saw me play. Average 25 points a game on freshman team. So as I walk on the court to start my sophomore season Lefty says 'You are going to be my defensive stopper.' I took that to heart and made that my primary responsibility for my next three years at Davidson and 13 years in the NBA. I'm serious! Not one game in my whole career did I ever think one thought about how I would score in the locker room before a game. As I reflect on that now, I realize that freed me to always be relaxed on the offensive end and let the game come to me."
– Dick Snyder, Davidson (1963-66) / First-Team All-American, Academic All-American, SoCon Athlete and Men's Basketball Player of the Year
"When I arrived on campus I quickly discovered that Lefty could NOT walk on water as was advertised. However, what he did was just as much a miracle. Grier Martin and Tom Scott took a flier on the least likely of candidates to produce Top-10 teams for the majority of the decade of the Sixties. He was the only one who truly believed Davidson could win the national championship. For fifty years I have maintained that Lefty Dreisell was the hardest working coach in college basketball. He may be the only coach ever, in any collegiate sport, to be able to take four different schools to THE tournament. Each year the Naismith HOF declined to include him, they lost credibility. They are late, but finally got it right."
– Jerry Kroll, Davidson (1967-70) / Two-Time All-Conference
"Lefty's election to the Hall of Fame is right on so many fronts, including exploding the myth that a college coach has to win a national championship to be considered truly great. Maybe Lefty's miracle run at Davidson has become blurred over time. It shouldn't. He took a Davidson program that was unknown and placed it in the nation's Top 10. The late great Dean Smith put it best when he said, "Only Lefty could have accomplished what he did at Davidson. That part of his career, standing alone, merits Hall of Fame status."
– John Kilgo, "Voice of the Wildcats" / Former Davidson Sports Information Director
"Coach Driesell's recent presentation as one of the newest members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is the result of his consistent belief that you can accomplish anything if you are willing to work harder than your competition... CLICK HERE to read more.
– Terry Holland, Davidson (1961-64) / Former Davidson Head Coach and Director of Athletics
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