Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim announces retirement after 47 years leading the Orange

A staple of men’s college basketball for more than 50 years and a figure who spanned seven decades in the sport stalking the sidelines and running his telltale 2-3 zone, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim is finally retiring from coaching. Former player and long time assistant coach Adrian “Red” Autry will take over as head coach, per a university announcement.

After Syracuse lost to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon, Boeheim was his vintage cagey self with reporters. He was non-committal about retiring, even as he said that he gave his retirement speech a week prior, when Wake Forest came to the Dome — and when Syracuse honored the 2003 national championship team that Boeheim coached.

“I think you missed it,” Boeheim said. “I gave my retirement speech on the court last Saturday, and I gave it in the press conference afterwards. And nobody except William Payne figured it out.”

After playing at Syracuse from 1962-66, Boeheim later joined the coaching staff under Roy Danforth in 1969. In 1976, he succeeded Danforth as the head coach and has been there ever since. The 2022-23 season was his 47th as the Syracuse head coach.

Boeheim accomplished about all there is to do as a college basketball head coach. He won a national championship in 2003 with Carmelo Anthony and now assistant coach Gerry McNamara, among others. He lead Syracuse to five Final Fours, 10 regular season Big East championships, five Big East tournament championships, and countless NCAA Tournament appearances. He was the 2010 Big East and national coach of the year.

He also has more than 1000 career wins, whether you count the ones the NCAA vacated or not.

And beyond the college ranks, Boeheim was a three-time Olympic gold medalist as an assistant coach for former Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

He’s a Basketball Hall of Famer and left an indelible mark on a program, a school, a league and the sport of college basketball.