Coach K Reaches 1,000 Wins
Mike Krzyzewski was a young first year coach on November 28, 1975 who led his Army team to a victory over Lehigh 58-29.
His first win as the head coach of Duke was five years later. That was his 74th win overall.
It was two seasons more before he reached 100 win. As head coach of the Blue Devils, he was just 38-47 over his first three years at the helm.
At that point, there was nothing to indicate that the unknown coach from Army, with a difficult surname to pronounce, would embark on a legendary run of wins that contains to this day.
Fast forward 38 years to November of 2013, when Jahlil Okafor a prep star in Chicago announced he wanted to play for Duke.
He said he wanted to personally help his soon to be college coach reach 1,000 wins.
On Sunday, before a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden, Okafor was able to fulfill his projection by leading Duke to victory 77-68 and elevating Coach K to a milestone with no rivals in the history of college basketball.
Following the game, Krzyzewski said others will win more, but it is good feeling being the first to reach 1,000. He called MSG magical and he could not think of where else he would have liked to reach 1,000 wins.
The win total for Coach K is without a doubt, the most impressive of all his previous accomplishments, all though the list is full of milestones. He has 12 regular season ACC titles, 13 tournament titles in the ACC, 12 awards for coach of the year, 30 appearances in the NCAA tournament, two USA basketball Olympic gold medals and four national championships.
He has 82 wins in the NCAA tournament, which is the most in college basketball history. His 13 seasons with 30 wins or more is the most as well.
However, the 1,000 wins is much more than just a number. Instead, it is a testament to his career that has transcended eras and to a coach that figured ways to win in all of them.
The latest milestone by Coach K is a product of his remarkable longevity, but it is a mark of philosophical and tactical flexibility as well.
A willingness to also learn, to also evolve, to also improve and somehow after 40 years keep finding the joy of the game that hooked you from the beginning.
The Duke coach simply said after his record setting win that his kids did what they had to, to win, it was beautiful to watch them fight back and win.
With the 1,000-win milestone out of the way, the Blue Devils can re-focus all their energy on their remaining ACC schedule as they attempt to reach the NCAA tournament and win another national championship.
