March 30, 2012
HORACE BROADNAX WINS THE JOHN MCLENDON AWARD
NEW ORLEANS, LA -- Savannah State's Horace Broadnax is the recipient of the 2012 John McLendon National Coach of the Year award. The John McLendon award is presented annually to the top collegiate head coach. The award will encompass Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and JUCO.
In Savannah State's first season in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament, Broadnax led the Tigers to a 21-12 record and a regular season MEAC title with a 14-2 record. For his efforts Broadnax was also tabbed the MEAC Coach of the Year for the 2011-12 season.
"Horace Broadnax exceeded all expectations," said Angela Lento, co-founder of CollegeInsider.com. "Not only did he win the MEAC, but his team dominated. They closed the regular season winning thirteen straight, eleven of those were double-digit victories."
The former Georgetown point guard took over a program that went 0-28 during the 2004-05 and his teams have shown steady progress going from two wins during the 2005-06 season to 21 wins during the 2011-12 campaign.
A trailblazer and one of the true pioneers of the game, McLendon became the first African American coach to win an integrated national championship. His team went on to win the NAIA Division I Men's Tournament in 1957, 1958 and 1959, making him the first coach in history to win three consecutive NAIA championships.
In 1962 he became the first African American head coach in a major professional league (ABL) with the Cleveland Pipers. In 1966 he became the first African American head coach of predominantly-white university, when he took over the Cleveland State program. He led the team to their best record in school history.
In 1969, McLendon was hired by the Denver Rockets and became the first African American head coach in the American Basketball Association. After a brief stint with the Rockets, McLendon ended his 25-year professional coaching career with a winning percentage of .760 and a lifetime career average of 523 victories and 165 losses.
The award was presented at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet in New Orleans, site of the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.
2012 JOHN MCLENDON AWARD FINALISTS
| Ken Ammann | Concordia University Irvine |
| Mike Brey | University of Notre Dame |
| Horace Broadnax | Savannah State |
| John Calipari | University of Kentucky |
| John Cooper | Tennessee State University |
| Jim Crutchfield | West Liberty University |
| Steve Green | South Plains College |
| Frank Haith | University of Missouri |
| Tom Izzo | Michigan State University |
| Marcus Kahn | Cabrini College |
| Ben McCollum | Northwest Missouri State University |
| Danny Miles | Oregon Tech |
| Pat Miller | Wisconsin-Whitewater |
| Matt Neil | Hope College |
| Paul Peck | Lindsey Wilson College |
| Chad Warner | Shorter University |
2023: Kenny Blakeney, Howard
2022: Hubert Davis, North Carolina
2021: Kelvin Sampson, Houston
2020: Joe Gallo, Merrimack
2019: Ben McCollum, Northwest Missouri State
2018: Chris Beard, Texas Tech
2017: Chris Holtmann, Ohio State
2016: King Rice, Monmouth
2015: Jim Engles, NJIT
2014: Gregg Marshall, Wichita State
2013: John Thompson, Georgetown
2012: Horace Broadnax, Savannah State
