Mike Woodson's coaching tenure is over, but his Indiana legacy remains

On March 13 at approximately 2:08 p.m. EDT, buzzers sounded inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

He didn’t know it yet, but those buzzers signaled the end of Mike Woodson’s tenure as head basketball coach at Indiana University. To be more specific, the buzzer finalized Indiana’s exit in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament with a 72-59 loss to Oregon. This ended up being the last game Woodson coached for the Hoosiers because, just three days later, Indiana was left out of the NCAA Tournament.

This ended what was a four-year tenure by Woodson, as he finished with an 82-53 overall record and 41-39 in Big Ten play. It was a complicated tenure—an up-and-down one at that—with struggles consistently plaguing the program when Woodson was in charge, but his legacy is much more than his four seasons as head coach.

While his stint manning the sidelines didn’t pan out like he or the university had hoped, Woodson’s relationship with Indiana basketball remains strong, and that’s not common for a coach who was booed off the floor a number of times during his final season as a coach.

In his successor Darian DeVries’ opening press conference, Indiana University President Pam Whitten said, “Let me start off, first of all, by acknowledging and thanking Coach Mike Woodson, such an important part of Indiana University. He first pulled up in Bloomington back in 1977, a tall, skinny kid that came to play basketball and lit the court on fire, and almost 50 years later is still such an important part of the Hoosier family.”

She followed that up by mentioning that “the porch light will always be on for Mike and his wonderful wife, Terri, as they will always be an important part of the Hoosier family.”

While these kinds of remarks are an extremely uncommon occurrence when a program is attempting to begin a new era, it came as no surprise here. Woodson will continue to be a prolific figure in Indiana basketball history, and let me tell you why.

HIS LEGACY AS A PLAYER

Woodson’s relationship with Indiana basketball begins, as most basketball careers do, as a player. After being a star guard at the now-defunct Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis, Woodson decided to take his talents to Bloomington to play for the reigning undefeated, national champion Hoosiers led by Bob Knight.

In his four seasons donning the cream and crimson, Woodson’s role with the Hoosiers increased each year, as he ended up captain of both the 1978-79 and 1979-80 teams in his junior and senior years, respectively. In 1978-79, he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and followed that up with the Big Ten Most Valuable Player award in 1979-80. Woodson was named an All-American by the NABC in both seasons, recognized not only for his poise on the floor but also for his leadership off of it.

In 1980, Woodson missed several games after undergoing back surgery due to a herniated disc but came back ahead of schedule to turn a 7-5 Big Ten record into a 13-5 mark by season’s end, winning IU the Big Ten title after defeating Ohio State on the final day of the regular season.

This win over OSU resulted in déjà vu for Woodson, as his last home game as head coach was also against the Buckeyes. While it wasn’t for a Big Ten championship, the Hoosiers were victorious in the 2025 edition of the game, and Woodson was quick to reflect on the similarities.

“I think back to 1980 playing this same team for the Big Ten title. That’s the only thing that was going through my head throughout the day, and I wanted it so much for these seniors to win because I knew how special that night was for me my senior year, and walking off that floor as a Big Ten champion,” Woodson said in his postgame press conference.

While the former player couldn’t deliver his alma mater a Big Ten title as a coach, he did as a player, while racking up accolades that demonstrated just how valuable he was to the Hoosiers when he was on the roster. His four years with Indiana between 1976 and 1980 speak for themselves, as his legacy in the cream and crimson can never be taken away from him or the university.

BRINGING BACK BOB KNIGHT TO ASSEMBLY HALL

In what may be the greatest achievement of his career—one that doesn’t even involve playing or coaching the game of basketball—Woodson was integral in getting Coach Knight back inside the building he coached in from 1971 to 2000.

This occurred on Feb. 8, 2020, during a matchup vs. Purdue and was part of the 40-year reunion of the 1980 Big Ten championship team mentioned earlier. Of course, Woodson captained that team, meaning he played a pivotal role in convincing Knight to make his first appearance at Assembly Hall since his firing in 2000.

Before his appearance in 2020, Knight was on the record saying, “I have no interest in ever going back to that university,” yet Woodson, Quinn Buckner, Isiah Thomas and other key players were able to make it happen.

“That was like a reunion, bringing him back, and we needed to bring him back,” Woodson said. “He needed to be back here, man.”

A year and a half later, during Woodson’s head coaching introductory press conference, he said, “I pay tribute to Coach Knight in the utmost way because Indiana basketball will always be Bob Knight. Will always be. It was great he came back in February a year ago and all the ex-players that surrounded him, the fans—it was a beautiful, beautiful thing.”

When Woodson became Indiana head coach, Knight praised his former player, saying, “I’ve never known a better person than Mike. He is just a great man.”

This level of respect from the man who won three national championships with Indiana says it all. But what Woodson did—not only for Knight and his 1980 teammates but for Hoosier Nation in bringing their beloved coach back—further proves just how much he means to Indiana basketball.

HIGHS AND LOWS AS A COACH

While Woodson’s playing career and effort to bring back Coach Knight gave him a beloved reputation among Indiana fans, his coaching tenure didn’t pan out the way many believed it should have.

While Indiana did have a winning record in Big Ten play, the Hoosiers were never close to a regular-season or tournament championship despite having some of the best talent in the league during Woodson’s four seasons.

As a result, Woodson’s popularity declined rapidly, with emotions getting so high that he was booed off the floor in a number of games this season, while most of the fan base was apathetic toward the team in the final two years of the Woodson era.

While he could never reach expectations, that’s not to say there weren’t positives during the four seasons, as several of Indiana’s best players in recent memory played under Woodson. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jalen Hood-Schifino and Kel’el Ware are all in the NBA representing the Hoosiers, while Trey Galloway and Anthony Leal were fan favorites throughout their careers at IU.

The Hoosiers made the NCAA Tournament twice under Woodson and won a game in both the 2022 and 2023 Big Dances, giving Indiana fans some March success for the first time since 2016. However, many believed the Hoosiers could have been destined for more with the talent on those rosters.

Indiana was 4-4 against rival Purdue under Woodson, the most wins by a coach against the Boilermakers since Mike Davis in the early 2000s, and some of the games Woodson coached against Purdue were instant classics. In 2022, Rob Phinisee’s game-winning 3-pointer resulted in pandemonium, as did Indiana’s upset win over No. 1 Purdue in 2023, when Jackson-Davis shined on Assembly Hall’s floor.

Later in 2023, Hood-Schifino had the game of his life that allowed Indiana to sweep the eventual Big Ten regular-season and tournament champion Boilermakers. In 2025, Woodson earned his final win over Purdue, as a second-half surge allowed the Hoosiers to enjoy a high point of the 2024-25 season.

“It’s always special when you beat Purdue. You know, we had battles when I played here for Coach Knight. You know what I mean? I’ve had a history and a lot of experience dealing with Purdue over the years,” Woodson said, reflecting on his career against the Boilers.

While Woodson never found the success that was expected of him—most of which can be attributed to his shortcomings as an in-game coach—he recruited several incredible players who delivered incredible moments under his leadership. As with anything, there were highs and lows in Woodson’s tenure, and while Indiana needed to move on, there were plenty of pleasant memories with Woodson manning the sidelines for the Hoosiers.

TO WRAP UP

Mike Woodson has a complicated history regarding his role in the Indiana basketball program. He was one of the all-time greats as a player and played a crucial role in one of the most pivotal events in the program’s history, but he fell short as a coach, leading many to believe his reputation may have been permanently damaged.

While there’s not much to defend on the coaching side, the respect he’s received from almost everyone who has come in contact with him can’t be denied. From President Whitten opening Coach DeVries’ press conference with praise for Woodson, to Coach Knight expressing how much he values Woodson’s character, to Anthony Leal’s final words to the media as an Indiana basketball player being “He means the world to us. Shoutout, Coach Woodson,” everyone around the Indiana basketball program seems to love Woodson as a person.

So why wouldn’t Indiana fans? That remains to be seen, as it may take some time for them to get the poor-coaching taste out of their mouths and focus on all the good Woodson has brought to Indiana basketball.