Former OU coach Lon Kruger gets enshrined in National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
NORMAN — As a kid, Lon Kruger's plan was to simply play basketball forever.
Coaching never crossed his mind as he went on to be a star point guard at Kansas State from 1971-74. But when the buzzer on Kruger's playing career finally sounded in 1976, he decided to remain close to the game he loved.
Kruger did end up getting into coaching after all, spending 45 years in the profession — including a 10-year stretch as the head coach of the OU men's basketball team before retiring in 2021. The culmination of Kruger's legendary career came Sunday when he was enshrined in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in Kansas City, Missouri.
"I didn't really have too many thoughts about after playing," Kruger said Monday. "When the playing days did end, I kind of felt like coaching was the next big thing... Forty-five years of coaching flew by."
Kruger won 743 total games throughout his head coaching career. His journey consisted of stops at Texas-Pan American (1982-86), Florida (1990-96), Illinois (1996-2000), the NBA's Atlanta Hawks (2000-03), UNLV (2004-11) and OU (2011-21).
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Kruger made two NCAA Final Four appearances. His first came with Florida in 1994, while his second came with OU in 2016.
Kruger found a home in Norman, where he led OU to a 195-128 record (90-89 Big 12) and seven NCAA Tournament appearances. The Silver Lake, Kansas, native also developed a reputation as one of the most well-liked coaches in program history.
"It was really a quick 10 years," Kruger said of his time at OU. "Just friendly people. Much like the people I grew up with in Kansas, I think Oklahomans are very similar... We had a lot of good players and a lot of good assistant coaches and staff while I was there."
Kruger announced his retirement from coaching on March 25, 2021. And unlike when he was a kid, he's now open to whatever new journey his future holds.
"I'm looking forward to whatever lies ahead now," Kruger said.
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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU men's basketball: Lon Kruger's storied coaching career 'flew by'
