# Lon Kruger
**Lon Kruger** (born 1952) is an American retired college basketball coach who, over 35 seasons as a Division I head coach, compiled a 674-432 record (.609 winning percentage) and became the first coach to lead five different programs to the NCAA Tournament.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) • [2](https://collegebasketballexperience.com/members/lon-kruger/) He coached at Texas–Rio Grande Valley (then Texas–Pan American), Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV, and Oklahoma, reaching the Final Four with Florida in 1994 and Oklahoma in 2016.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) • [2](https://collegebasketballexperience.com/members/lon-kruger/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1952; alma mater Kansas State (1975)[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) |
| College career record | 35 years, 674-432, .609 W-L%[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) |
| Head coaching stops | Texas–Rio Grande Valley (52-59), Kansas State (81-46), Florida (104-80), Illinois (81-48), UNLV (161-71), Oklahoma (195-128)[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) |
| NCAA Tournament | 20 appearances (22-20), 2 Final Fours, 0 championships[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) |
| Distinction | First Division I coach to take five different programs to the NCAA Tournament[2](https://collegebasketballexperience.com/members/lon-kruger/) |
| NBA coaching | 69-122 (.361) as Atlanta Hawks head coach, 2000-01 to 2002-03; New York Knicks assistant in 2003-04[3](https://collegehoopedia.com/coaches/lon-kruger) |
| Retirement | March 25, 2021, after the 2020-21 season at Oklahoma[4](https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/lon-kruger/2045) |
| Honors | College Basketball Experience Hall of Fame class of 2022; four-time conference Coach of the Year[2](https://collegebasketballexperience.com/members/lon-kruger/) • [1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) |
## Playing career
Kruger grew up in Silver Lake, Kansas, and played at [Kansas State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/kansas-state-university), where he was a two-time Big Eight Player of the Year in 1973 and 1974.[4](https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/lon-kruger/2045) • [5](https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/mens-basketball/renowned-program-builder-lon-kruger-laid-the-foundation-for-greatness-at-every-stop) He scored 1,063 points in his career, averaging 17.6 points per game as a senior, and his jersey was retired in 2006.[4](https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/lon-kruger/2045) Sports-[Reference](https://www.edgepedia.org/reference) records his playing career as 80 games at 13.3 points per game.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) He was drafted by the [Atlanta Hawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-hawks) in the 1974 NBA Draft before turning to coaching.[5](https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/mens-basketball/renowned-program-builder-lon-kruger-laid-the-foundation-for-greatness-at-every-stop)
## College coaching career
Kruger began as a head coach in the 1982-83 season at Texas–Pan American, compiling a four-year mark of 52-59 that included a 20-8 final season.[6](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/lon-kruger/93) He then returned to his alma mater, coaching Kansas State from 1986 to 1990 with an 81-46 record and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) • [7](https://www.kstatesports.com/honors/k-state-athletics-hall-of-fame/lon-kruger/46)
At Florida (1990-96) he went 104-80 and led the Gators to the 1994 Final Four, capping a 29-8 season that set a school record for victories which stood until [Billy Donovan](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-donovan)'s first NCAA championship team 12 years later.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) • [8](https://floridagators.com/news/2023/1/3/mens-basketball-welcome-back-hall-of-famer-lon-kruger-jan-7-2023) He moved to Illinois (1996-2000), going 81-48, then took over UNLV in 2004-05 and coached the Rebels through 2011 with a 161-71 record.[1](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html) • [9](https://soonersports.com/news/2017/2/25/211486305)
**Oklahoma.** Kruger coached the Sooners for ten seasons (2011-21), posting a 195-128 record with seven NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2016 Final Four.[5](https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/mens-basketball/renowned-program-builder-lon-kruger-laid-the-foundation-for-greatness-at-every-stop) At Oklahoma he helped develop [Buddy Hield](https://www.edgepedia.org/buddy-hield) and [Trae Young](https://www.edgepedia.org/trae-young), both of whom were selected in the top six of the NBA Draft.[5](https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/mens-basketball/renowned-program-builder-lon-kruger-laid-the-foundation-for-greatness-at-every-stop) He recorded his 600th career win in February 2017.[9](https://soonersports.com/news/2017/2/25/211486305)
## Program builder
Kruger's reputation rested on rebuilding struggling programs. The six schools where he took over were a combined 78-99 (.440) the season before his arrival, and none was coming off a winning season in conference play; his teams went 92-89 across his first seasons at each school and 117-72 by year two, with Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV, and Oklahoma reaching either the NCAA Tournament or the NIT by the end of his second season.[9](https://soonersports.com/news/2017/2/25/211486305) • [5](https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/mens-basketball/renowned-program-builder-lon-kruger-laid-the-foundation-for-greatness-at-every-stop) He guided all six programs to 20-win seasons, 17 such campaigns in total.[5](https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/mens-basketball/renowned-program-builder-lon-kruger-laid-the-foundation-for-greatness-at-every-stop)
The five-program NCAA Tournament distinction is a rare feat in Division I coaching, and all five schools made multiple appearances, won at least one tournament game, and four (all but Illinois) advanced to the Sweet 16.[2](https://collegebasketballexperience.com/members/lon-kruger/) • [9](https://soonersports.com/news/2017/2/25/211486305) • [12](https://highpointpanthers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/tubby-smith/1361) A 2015 [Sports Illustrated](https://www.edgepedia.org/sports-illustrated) account called him the only coach in college basketball history to win NCAA tournament games at five different schools.[10](https://www.si.com/college/2015/03/27/oklahoma-sooners-lon-kruger-michigan-state-ncaa-tournament) He was later joined in a narrower category: according to the Associated Press, he is one of three coaches to take four different schools to the Sweet 16, alongside [Eddie Sutton](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-sutton) and [John Calipari](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-calipari), with two Sweet 16s at Oklahoma and one each at Kansas State, Florida, and UNLV.[11](https://apnews.com/article/81c0249d738d509f687dda97b2eb65fe)
## NBA coaching
Between Illinois and UNLV, Kruger returned to the Atlanta Hawks as head coach in 2000, compiling a 69-122 record (.361) over three seasons from 2000-01 to 2002-03, then served as an assistant with the [New York Knicks](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-knicks) under Don Chaney during the 2003-04 season.[3](https://collegehoopedia.com/coaches/lon-kruger)
## Retirement and personal life
Kruger retired from coaching on March 25, 2021, after his 35th season, to help his son Kevin, who had just been named head coach at UNLV.[4](https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/lon-kruger/2045) He and his wife Barbara have two children: daughter Angie, a [University of Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-florida) medical school graduate practicing obstetrics and gynecology, and son Kevin, who played his senior season at UNLV as starting point guard for his father's 2006-07 squad.[6](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/lon-kruger/93) He was inducted into the College Basketball Experience Hall of Fame in 2022 and continues to serve the sport as chair of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council.[2](https://collegebasketballexperience.com/members/lon-kruger/)
## References
1. [Lon Kruger Coaching Record, Sports-Reference](https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/coaches/lon-kruger-1.html)
2. [Lon Kruger, College Basketball Experience Hall of Fame](https://collegebasketballexperience.com/members/lon-kruger/)
3. [Lon Kruger, College Hoopedia](https://collegehoopedia.com/coaches/lon-kruger)
4. [Lon Kruger, Kansas State University Athletics](https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/lon-kruger/2045)
5. [Renowned program builder Lon Kruger laid the foundation for greatness at every stop, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/mens-basketball/renowned-program-builder-lon-kruger-laid-the-foundation-for-greatness-at-every-stop)
6. [Lon Kruger, University of Oklahoma coaching bio](https://soonersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/lon-kruger/93)
7. [Lon Kruger, K-State Athletics Hall of Fame](https://www.kstatesports.com/honors/k-state-athletics-hall-of-fame/lon-kruger/46)
8. [Welcome Back, Hall-of-Famer Lon Kruger, Florida Gators](https://floridagators.com/news/2023/1/3/mens-basketball-welcome-back-hall-of-famer-lon-kruger-jan-7-2023)
9. [600: Lon Kruger Reaches Another Milestone, University of Oklahoma](https://soonersports.com/news/2017/2/25/211486305)
10. [Understated Lon Kruger has turned Oklahoma around the right way, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/college/2015/03/27/oklahoma-sooners-lon-kruger-michigan-state-ncaa-tournament)
11. [Numbers to know for each of the 16 teams remaining in March Madness, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/81c0249d738d509f687dda97b2eb65fe)
12. [Tubby Smith - Head Coach - Men's Basketball Coaches - High Point University Athletics](https://highpointpanthers.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/tubby-smith/1361)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Men's college coaches*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license