Despite thirteen 20-win seasons, Eustachy bounced between jobs due to his behavior. Winning 63 percent of his games at Iowa State did not cover him from the firing line. In 2003, photos of Eustachy snuggled up kissing a coed at a frat party surfaced.
For 33 years, Calipari patrolled the sidelines as one of the most successful coaches in recent basketball history. His teams only missed the postseason twice in that span. While you cannot argue with success, you can point to him as an early proponent of player movement.
With 25 years on the bench, Kim Mulkey enjoys the fruits of her labor. In winning four national titles, you can witness a strong legacy. However, that is undermined by what many label as selfish, angry, and intolerant. Britney Griner, one of history’s most dominant post players, maintains a frosty relationship. It starts with Griner’s assertion about Mulkey’s alleged homophobia, as described here.
While you can debate the student-athlete narrative, players must at least possess credits while transferring. In 2002, transfer Jamil Terrell played Division 1 basketball without anything except a welding certificate. Van Breda Kolff and the school president circumvented the rules, allowing Terrell to play.
In a career that spanned five decades, Knight won three national championships and boasts the last undefeated team in men’s college basketball. At the same time, he headbutted a player, kicked another, threw chairs across the court, and choked another athlete.
Like Knight, Huggins’ approach became quickly outdated and extremely tiring. In addition, his on-court accomplishments wither behind the storm cloud. Mix in ample helping on tantrums, homophobic comments, and multiple alcohol-related driving arrests, and you have Bob Huggins.
Picture It: You live in a world where you finished a legendary playing career. You get a graduate assistant job, working for your mentor, and your old coach retires. From there, you take over and lead your team to three consecutive Final Four berths in the first three seasons. This is Pokey Chatman. She looked destined for coaching superstardom.
Pat Summitt’s name should never be on a list like this. However, her son, Tyler, earned a special spot. The legendary coach, beloved by players and respected by foes alike, allowed her son to carry on the family. In actuality, he dragged the surname through the mud.
For as long as sports have existed, racism has also resided within. Rupp, despite the whitewashing of the hundreds of times he used slurs, earns this distinction for that fact alone. When a sport depended on an overwhelming black talent pool, Rupp chose to do the exact opposite. Rupp’s quote hung in the air like diesel fumes when asked why he didn’t recruit black players.
Bliss won 61.4% of his games but stands as a pariah, perhaps the most reviled man in college sports. Baylor forward Carlton Dotson shoots and kills teammate Patrick Denehy. Instead of being transparent, Bliss instructed players to lie, labeling Dennehy a drug-dealing criminal.
