Jim Boeheim replaced as Syracuse head coach after 47 seasons originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Jim Boeheim era at Syracuse University is coming to an end after 47 seasons.
The longtime head coach of the men's basketball team will not return next season, the university announced Wednesday shortly after Syracuse lost 77-74 to Wake Forest on a buzzer beater in the ACC Tournament. It marked the final time that Boeheim coached Syracuse on the court that bears his name.
The 78-year-old Boeheim has gone 1,015-441 with Syracuse, not including 101 wins vacated by the NCAA for rules violations. He has the second-most victories in Division I behind Duke's Mike Kryzyzewski, who retired with 1,202 wins.
The Orange have made 35 appearances in the NCAA Tournament under Boeheim, advancing to the Final Four on five occasions and winning the national championship in 2003.
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Boeheim, who also won three gold medals as an assistant coach for the U.S. Olympic teams, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.
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"There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today," said Kent Syverud, the Chancellor of Syracuse University. "Jim has invested and dedicated the majority of his life to building this program, cultivating generations of student-athletes and representing his alma mater with pride and distinction. I extend my deep appreciation and gratitude to an alumnus who epitomizes what it means to be 'Forever Orange.'"
Boeheim will be replaced by Syracuse's associate head coach Adrian Autry, who began serving as an assistant coach under Boeheim in 2011.
"I have spent much of my time in the game of basketball learning from Jim and am so grateful to him for preparing me to carry on the winning tradition that is Orange Basketball," said Autry, who played for Boeheim from 1990 to 1994. "It's hard to imagine a world without him on the bench, but together with our coaches, student-athletes and fans, we will build on decades of success as a winning program."
Boeheim was invited to walk on to the Syracuse basketball team in 1962. The following year he earned a scholarship and went on to play for the team until 1966. He became a full-time assistant coach for the team in 1972 and took over as head coach in 1976.
While speaking with reporters after Syracuse's loss on Wednesday, Boeheim was non-committal about retiring and said his return to Syracuse was up to the university.
"As I've said from Day One when I started working here, the university hired me, and it's their choice what they want to do," Boeheim said. "I always have the choice of retirement, but it's their decision as to whether I coach or not. It always has been."
