Maryland’s Charles “Lefty” Driesell has passed away. Who was the legendary basketball coach?

In 2003 Driesell brought the curtain down on an incredible career that saw him retire as the fourth winningest NCAA Division 1 men’s basketball coach. It is a legacy that will undoubtedly last for many years to come.

Maryland’s former coach Lefty Driesell has passed away

According to reports this week, Charles “Lefty” Driesell, the legendary college basketball coach who built Maryland into a top program, has died at the age of 92. In a statement made by Maryland’s Athletic Director, Damon Evans, the effect that Driesell had on the school was made clear, as was the sadness about his passing.

“Lefty Driesell was a transcendent figure in college basketball and the man who put Maryland basketball on the map,” Evans said. “A Hall of Famer, Lefty was an innovator, a man who was ahead of his time from his coaching on the court to his marketing off the court. From starting Midnight Madness to nationally televised games with sold-out Cole Field House crowds, Lefty did it all. He led Maryland to the NIT Championship, eight NCAA Tournaments, multiple ACC Championships, and a consistent Top-10 ranking during his tenure, producing tons of NBA players. We are saddened to hear of his passing and send our condolences to his entire family and community of friends. His memory will be forever etched in Maryland basketball history.”

A look back at Lefty Driesell’s career

While he will surely be remembered for his time coaching the Terrapins, Driesell actually began his collegiate coaching career at Davidson where he led the Wildcats to five Southern Conference regular season championships and three NCAA tournament appearances. In 1969, Maryland came knocking and with that he joined a program that he would go on to lead over 17 seasons. During that time, the Wildcats won an NIT title (1972), two ACC regular season titles, made three Sweet 16 appearances, and a trip to the Elite Eight.

Mention must also be made of his player development, specifically where the likes of star players such as Len Bias, Tom McMillen, Len Elmore, Buck Williams, and John Lucas are concerned. There are of course many others who had the opportunity to play under Driesell. Yet, perhaps the thing that he will be most remembered for was his hand in starting the “Midnight Madness” tradition, the annual opening of team practices to the public, something that has become a major event on the calendar of most schools.

What is “Midnight Madness?”

For the origins of the tradition, we turn to the pages of Sports Illustrated and an article that was published in 2014:

“Did you know Midnight Madness started with a midnight run? “It’s true. Happened on Oct. 15, 1971. Byrd Stadium, University of Maryland, College Park. At three minutes after midnight (to make sure they were not starting too early in violation of NCAA rules), the members of the school’s basketball team began a mandatory one-mile run on the track. The stadium lights were off, so the only illumination came from the headlights of a few cars parked at one end of the stadium. The workout was not publicized, but some 800 students had gathered to watch. Word of mouth had spread, apparently.”

What about Lefty Driesell’s numbers?

By the time Driesell’s tenure in College Park came to an end in 1986, he had amassed a staggering 348 wins, which is second only to Gary Williams (461) in school history. Following the death of the above-mentioned Len Bias, he left Maryland, however, he would return to coaching once again two years later with James Madison, starting a nine-year stint that ended with another 159 wins added to his overall tally. During that time he would lead the Dukes to five consecutive Colonial Athletic Association titles, four NIT appearances, and one NCAA tournament.

Ultimately, Driesell would have his last go at coaching with Georgia State where he won four Atlantic Sun Conference regular season titles and one tournament championship. As stated before, he would call time on his career in 2003 as the fourth-winningest coach in Division 1 history, but also as the only coach to win at least 100 games with four different schools. “Lefty was the ultimate program builder. He did it at four schools,” said McMillen, the former NBA player who later became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. “He and [the late North Carolina coach] Dean Smith were a lot alike. Both were intensely driven and both were big thinkers. Lefty took a sleepy program and put it on the map. He helped create an aura for Maryland.” The legendary coach was also a member of both the College Basketball Hall of Fame (2007) and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2018).