Top 10 Badass College Basketball Coaches: Mike Krzyzewski

To celebrate the start of March Madness, we break down the top 10 badass college basketball coaches, starting with Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Ask anyone who the best college basketball coach in the country is, and it’s likely you’ll hear the name Mike Krzyzewski. The longtime Duke head coach has the most wins in NCAA Division 1 Basketball, and has led his team to become one of the top betting favorites in the NCAAB, according to Intertops, with 5 NCAA Championship wins in the past. Let’s take a look at what makes him one of the most badass college basketball coaches alive.

He’s been Duke’s head coach since 1980

2017 NCAA Basketball Championship betting favorites

• North Carolina: 7.50
• Villanova: 8.50
• Duke: 9.00
• Gonzaga: 9.00
• Arizona: 11.00

Mike Krzyzewski first began his basketball journey in 1968 while training to become an officer in the Army. He was captain of the Army basketball team during this time, leading his team to the National Invitation Tournament.

In 1974, Krzyzewski was discharged from the Army, and took his first coaching role as assistant coach for the Indiana Hoosiers during their incredible 1947-1975 season. The next year he took a head coach role for the Army Cadets basketball team, where he stayed for five years.

In 1980, Mike Krzyzewski was named head coach of Duke’s basketball team. It took a few seasons for the team to get accustomed to the new coaching style, but eventually they would go on to be one of the most successful college basketball teams in history.

Role as USA Olympic team head coach

In addition to his coaching duties at Duke, Mike Krzyzewski has been the USA’s Olympic basketball head coach for the past three Summer Games. His first Olympic Games came in 2008, where team USA finished with a perfect 8-0 record.

This impressive record with the US National team makes Krzyzewski one of the most badass college basketball coaches alive. After an impressive first-place victory at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, team USA began preparing for the 2012 Summer Games. They once again took gold, making US gambling news beating Spain in the finals, 107-100.

USA once again proved sports betting sites like Intertops correct that they’re the best national team in the world during the 2016 Olympic Games by taking gold. Not many coaches could handle the pressure of coaching both college basketball and the National team, but Mike Krzyzweski handled it as good as anyone possibly could.

He created his own charity

In 2006, Krzyzewski and his wife created a non-profit organization that focuses on inspiring students to pursue their goals. This charity pushes students to excel in the classroom, and helps them gain entry into college and break away from the cycle of poverty they may be trapped in.

In more recent years, Mike and his wife have been focused on raising money for a variety of charitable causes including the Duke Children’s Hospital, Children’s Miracle Network, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

These charitable causes certainly make Krzyzewski one of the most badass college basketball coaches in the world, and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association seems to agree, as they awarded him with the Wayman Tisdale Humanitarian Award.

Whether you like him or not, you can’t deny that Mike Krzyzewski is one of the best college basketball coaches in history. He has helped Duke become one of the premier basketball teams in the nation, and a top betting favorite to win the NCAAB Championship according to most online sportsbooks in the US like Intertops.

Who do you think are some of the most badass college basketball coaches alive today. Do you agree with us that Mike Krzyzewski is number one? Tell us what you think in the comment section below, and make sure to stay tuned for part 2 of our list of badass basketball coaches!