THE JOHN MCLENDON AWARD

2013 John McLendon Award

APRIL 5, 2013


2013 MCLENDON AWARD

ATLANTA, GA -- Georgetown's John Thompson III is the recipient of the 2013 John McLendon National Coach of the Year award.

"Coach Thompson took a team, which many experts thought was middle of the pack at best and won the Big East Conference," said CollegeInsider.com co-Founder Angela Lento. "This is a well deserved honor for an outstanding person and coach."

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.
 
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.
 

2013 JOHN MCLENDON AWARD FINALISTS

Dana Altman (Oregon)
Chris Bartley (Worcester Polytechnic Institute)
John Beilein (Michigan)
Tom Billeter (Augustana College)
Derrick Clark (Metropolitan State)
Jim Crews (Saint Louis)
Jim Crutchfield (West Liberty)
Jim Larranaga (Miami)
Johnny Tauer (Saint Thomas)
John Thompson III (Georgetown)

 

The John McLendon Award is presented annually to the top collegiate head coach and includes Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA.
 
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 recipient of the 2023-24 award will be announced in April, in Phoenix, AZ site of the men's NCAA Basketball Championship.

The Coach John McLendon award is presented annually to the top collegiate coach, regardless of division, as voted on by the award committee.

Coaches at the division I, division II, division III, NAIA and JUCO ranks are eligible for the award.
 
The 10-member voting committee consists of current and former head coaches, as well as two senior staff members of collegeinsider.com.
 
The award is presented annually at the site of the men's Division I NCAA basketball championship. 

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