Having completed his 21st season as head coach at the University of Connecticut and 35th year as a collegiate head coach, Jim Calhoun has unquestionably stood the test of time in establishing himself as the greatest program builder in college basketball history.

Jim Calhoun’s coaching success story includes winning two NCAA National Championships (1999, 2004) at Connecticut, passing the elite 700-win plateau, and earning basketball’s highest honor, election into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2005.

The beginning of what has become one of college basketball’s greatest coaching achievements—transforming the University of Connecticut into one of the nation’s elite programs—was launched in May of 1986 when Jim Calhoun was named head coach.

Twenty one years later, UConn Basketball sits atop the college basketball landscape with a pair of NCAA National Championships, an NIT Championship, recognition as the most successful program in the history of the Big East Conference with a record-setting 16 league titles, and annual acknowledgement as one of America’s truly outstanding college programs.

In 35 seasons as a head coach on the NCAA Division I collegiate level, Jim Calhoun’s overall collegiate head coaching record is 750-328. That includes a 248-137 record in 14 seasons as head coach at Northeastern (MA) University and a 502-191 mark in his 21 seasons at Connecticut.

In June of 2006, the annual NBA Draft brought the list of UConn accomplishments to new heights again. The University of Connecticut became the first school in the history of the NBA to have five players selected in the first two rounds of the draft and for the first time in school history, the Huskies had four players selected in the First Round. Sophomore Rudy Gay and senior Hilton Armstrong were each selected in the lottery portion of the First Round, while junior Marcus Williams and junior Josh Boone were also selected in the First Round. Senior Denham Brown was taken with the 40th pick in the second round by the Seattle Sonics.

Gay was selected with the No. 8 pick by the Houston Rockets and then traded to Memphis. Armstrong went to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets with the No. 12 selection. Williams was taken with the No. 22 pick by the New Jersey Nets and Boone was taken with the No. 23 selection, also by New Jersey. Brown went in the second round, with the 40th pick, to the Seattle Sonics.

UConn becomes only the third school in NBA history to have four players selected in the First Round of the draft, joining Duke (1999) and North Carolina (2005). The five draftees are the most in school history, surpassing the three Husky picks in 1996 and 1982. UConn has now had a total of 21 players drafted under head coach Jim Calhoun, 14 of those in the first round and nine lottery selections.

The lottery duo of Gay and Armstrong gives UConn nine total lottery selections in the past 12 years and marks the second time in three years that Connecticut has had a pair of lottery picks. Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon each went in the lottery in 2004. Including Charlie Villanueva in 2005, UConn has had five lottery selections in the past three drafts.

In September of 2005, with some 60 of his former players in attendance, Jim Calhoun’s four decade body of work as one of college basketball’s greatest coaches was formally rewarded when the UConn coach was enshrined as a coach into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

On March 2, 2005, Jim Calhoun joined an elite club, becoming one of only 19 coaches in NCAA Division I basketball history to reach the 700-win plateau when UConn beat Georgetown, 83-64.

In his 20 seasons at Connecticut, Jim Calhoun has compiled a stunning 48-15 overall record in national postseason tournament competition (36-11 in NCAA play, 12-4 in NIT play). His 36 NCAA wins at UConn, all achieved in the past 17 years, far outdistances the entire total of four NCAA victories recorded at Connecticut before Coach Calhoun took over the Husky basketball program in the spring of 1986.

Jim Calhoun has led UConn to 14 NCAA bids in the past 17 years, including five straight appearances. Under Coach Calhoun’s direction, UConn has never lost a NCAA First Round game and UConn is a stunning 25-3 in NCAA First and Second Round competition since 1990. The Huskies have earned 11 NCAA Sweet 16 berths in the past 17 years, seven Elite Eight appearances, two NCAA Final Four trips and two National Championships.

Under Coach Calhoun, UConn has captured a league record 16 BIG EAST Championships, ten regular season crowns and six tournament titles. The Huskies are 28-14 in BIG EAST Tournament play under Calhoun.

Even before capturing the 2004 NCAA title, Connecticut basketball under head coach Jim Calhoun had achieved a unique "double", winning the 1999 NCAA Division I National Championships as well as the 1988 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) Championship.

Jim Calhoun is the only coach in the history of the BIG EAST Conference to have been named BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year four times. He earned his first BIG EAST Coach of the Year award in 1989-90 and also won the honor following the 1993-94, 1995-96 and 1997-98 seasons. John Thompson of Georgetown and Lou Carnesecca of St. John’s each earned the prestigious honor three times.

Now having completed his 34th season as a collegiate head coach, Jim Calhoun ranks No. 9 all-time in NCAA career victories with 39 (36-10 at Connecticut, 3-5 at Northeastern). Coach Calhoun is 39-16 in overall NCAA play (with two NCAA titles).