Charles “Lefty” Driesell, a member of both the James Madison Athletics Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, passed away early Saturday morning, February 17, at the age 92. Driesell was a model of consistency, leading four universities to the NCAA Tournament, including JMU in 1994, and is in a club all by himself, being the only coach in NCAA history to win at least 100 games at four different schools.
“Lefty was a larger-than-life figure who made a significant impact wherever he went, particularly at James Madison and our men’s basketball program,” Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne said.
“Although my time at JMU did not overlap with his, his imprint on our program was evident from day one. On behalf of JMU Athletics, we are so grateful for Lefty’s contributions to JMU and to the sport of college basketball. We send our condolences to his family and friends.”
“Everyone in our program is deeply saddened by the loss of Lefty Driesell,” current JMU Head Coach Mark Byington said. “I want to send his family and friends my heartfelt condolences. He had great impact at JMU and a legendary impact on college basketball.”
Driesell was enshrined in the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2018, the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and was inducted into the JMU Athletics Hall in 2005. He was at the helm as JMU from 1988-1997, posting a 159-111 record in nine seasons. JMU was victorious in the CAA Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1994 while also making NIT runs in five consecutive seasons, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993 as part of one of the best five-year stretches in program history for the Dukes.
Embed from Getty ImagesDriesell is one of the most accomplished and renowned head coaches in NCAA history and also the only coach in NCAA history to have been named conference Coach of the Year in four different conferences (Southern Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Colonial Athletic Association, Atlantic Sun Conference).
At the time that he decided to walk away from the game in the coaching capacity, Driesell was the fourth-winningest Division I men’s basketball coach of all time and remains the 16th-winningest head coach in history with 786 career victories (786-394 overall in 41 seasons). After nine seasons at Davidson College and 17 seasons at the University of Maryland, Driesell coached at JMU from 1988-97.
The Dukes went 16-14 in his first season in Harrisonburg, then for five straight seasons from 1989-90 to 1993-94, JMU had or tied for the CAA’s best regular-season record. JMU was a powerhouse and went to the NCAA Tournament in 1994 with Driesell at the helm after winning its inaugural CAA tournament title. Driesell was named the CAA Coach of the Year after the 1989-90 campaign, when the Dukes went 20-11 and 11-3 in CAA play, and after the 1991-92 season, when they went 21-11 and 12-2 in CAA conference play.
At Davidson, Driesell went 176-65 from 1960-69 and won five Southern Conference championships. He took the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in 1966, 1968 and 1969. Davidson advanced as far as the Elite Eight in back-to-back years, 1968 and 1969.
Driesell had his longest stint with the Maryland Terrapins, where he coached for 17 years. He led the Terrapins to eight NCAA Tournaments and advanced to the Elite Eight in 1973 and 1975. He also won the 1972 NIT and 1984 ACC tournament titles at Maryland and was named ACC Coach of the Year in 1975 and 1980.
After his time at JMU came to an end, Driesell coached five full seasons at Georgia State and had a 103-59 record before retiring during his sixth season. Driesell took the Panthers to the ‘Big Dance’ in 2001 and the NIT in 2002.
Driesell played basketball at Duke University in the early 1950s and is a native of Norfolk, Virginia. It is a family affair for the Driesell’s. His son, Chuck Driesell, served on his JMU coaching staff from 1989-1996. Two of his children, Pam (’82) and Carolyn (’93), are JMU graduates, and a grandson, Jake, is a current JMU student.
