After 26 years, countless magical moments and three NCAA championships, UConn men's basketball coach Jim Calhoun will retire on Thursday, according to reports in the Hartford Courant, ESPN.com and numerous other media outlets.
Calhoun, 70, who had battled health problems in recent years, will announce his retirement at a press conference at 2 p.m. Thursday. He beat cancer three times, and had spinal surgery to correct back problems last year. after falling off his bike near his home in Madison.
In the past few years, Calhoun has drawn a suspension for recruiting violations, and the men's basketball program was barred from postseason play in 2013 because of poor academic performance.
Calhoun began his coaching career at Old Lyme High School after graduating from American International College in Springfield, MA. He coached at Northeastern University in Boston before taking over the Huskies in 1986. UConn as a university and its basketball program were literally noise in the woods before Calhoun arrived.
He finishes his career with 873 career wins, sixth all-time, and he won national titles in 1999, 2004 and 2011. During the Calhoun era, 27 of his players were drafted into the NBA. In 2005, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
According to multiple sources, Kevin Ollie, who played for Calhoun in the 1990s, will take over the program.
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