15 replies to this topic

[DJ MC]

Sports Illustrated: Will Lefty Driesell ever get in the Hall of Fame?

 

And there, in miniature, is the story of Lefty Driesell. Nobody could sell like he could. But, alas, he never did win the car.

 

JoePosnanski.com: Winning an Oldsmobile

[Mike B]

I grew up watching the left hander, and he was one of the great characters of the game.  There are coaches who get in on longevity as well as their body of work.  I think Lefty has both.

He could be maddening with some of his in game moves, but he coached some damn good teams.  He was hamstrung early by the one team per conference NCAA bids, but his team put Maryland basketball on the map.

He got some great players, Lucas, Elmore, BIas, McMillen, Williams Howard, Davis and many more.

He deserves to be there.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Here's another great article on Driesell, by Dave Kindred.

 

https://theathletic....lefty-driesell/

[bnickle]

He's probably the greatest coach in Maryland history. If there had been an expanded field in the 70s his resume would likely look spectacular.

[Mike B]

He's probably the greatest coach in Maryland history. If there had been an expanded field in the 70s his resume would likely look spectacular.

Charles G.  "Lefty" Driesell.   He, IMO, really got a raw deal from Maryland.  Not only did they  replace him, but they replace him with  Bob Wade,who was the hand picked choice of none other than John Thompson.  Still  pisses me off many years later.

[Nigel Tufnel]

John Feinstein‏Verified account @JFeinsteinBooks 17m17 minutes ago

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FINALLY! LEFTY DRIESELL IS IN THE HALL OF FAME! ABOUT TIME!

[DJ MC]

Yeah!

[Mackus]

Awesome!

[You Play to Win the Game]

Jeez I don't follow stuff like this well enough, plus wasn't alive when Lefty was doing his thing.

But my knee jerk to this thread is, how the hell wasn't he already? Recruiting stuff I guess?

[Nigel Tufnel]

I guess the knock on him is that he never made a final four.

[Mike B]

Jeez I don't follow stuff like this well enough, plus wasn't alive when Lefty was doing his thing.

But my knee jerk to this thread is, how the hell wasn't he already? Recruiting stuff I guess?

Lefty was a tireless recruiter.  He took the fall for Lenny Bias, and it worked against him for years.

 

My view, he was the guy who was at the helm, when all the crap went down.  I never blamed him for it.

 

Lefty was an innovator and a salesman.  Good not great bench coach, but this is long over due.  Lefty elevated Maryland Basketball greatly.

 

Congrats to one of my favorite coaches and sports personalities.  

 

Congrats to Charles G. "Lefty"  Driesell

[Nigel Tufnel]

Feinstein column:

 

https://www.washingt...m=.9adbdfc8007f

 

Driesell won 786 games at four schools in 40-plus years as a college head coach. He was the first coach in NCAA history to win more than 100 games at four schools: Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State. He took Maryland and Davidson to the Elite Eight twice each. He reached the NCAA tournament at all four schools and had two losing seasons — his first at Davidson and his second-to-last at James Madison. He retired midway through the 2002-03 season at Georgia State when he woke up in a Nashville hotel one morning and said, “I’m 71 years old. Why am I still doing this?”

 

Driesell’s numbers don’t begin to explain his contributions to basketball. At Maryland, he invented Midnight Madness, celebrating the upcoming college basketball season by having an open practice at the stroke of midnight on the first day the NCAA allowed. He had his players run inside Byrd Stadium (now Maryland Stadium) using car lights so they could see where they were going. From there, Midnight Madness grew into a national phenomenon.

[BSLChrisStoner]

• Hall of Fame coach 'Lefty' Driesell dies at 92

[BSLChrisStoner]

[BSLChrisStoner]

UM Terps: Lefty's Top 10 Maryland Moments

https://umterps.com/...aryland-moments

[russsnyder]

RIP coach