Oklahoma Head Coach Lon Kruger Retires After 35 Seasons in College Basketball

Lon Kruger's coaching career has come to an end after spending his final decade at Oklahoma.

Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger is retiring after 35 seasons in college basketball, according to CBS Sports's Jon Rothstein. 

"It's been an honor to serve the University of Oklahoma as its head men's basketball coach over the last 10 years," Kruger said in a statement Thursday evening. "The people here are certainly amazing and our family is so grateful for the kindness and support expressed by Sooner Nation throughout the past decade. The leadership of Joe Castiglione and President Harroz has established an incredible culture and standard that is better than any coach could have asked for. 

"We have such a deep appreciation for the players, coaches and fans. There truly is 'Only One Oklahoma' and it’s a great honor to be a Sooner for life."

Kruger is expected to meet with his team on Thursday to inform them of the news. The 2020-21 season marked Kruger's 10th campaign as head coach with the Sooners. 

In the two seasons prior to Kruger's arrival, Oklahoma went 27–36. Kruger led the Sooners to a 195–128 record during his 10 years in Norman, reaching seven of the past eight NCAA tournaments. Kruger and Oklahoma reached the Final Four in 2016.

Kruger's career has stretched across nearly 40 years with head coaching stops at Texas-Pan American, Kansas State, Florida, Illinois and UNLV in the collegiate ranks. He also logged an NBA stint with the Atlanta Hawks.

Before his Oklahoma tenure, Kruger led UNLV, Illinois, Florida and Kansas State to the NCAA tournament. He reached the Final Four with the Gators in 1994. 

Kruger holds a 673–432 record during his collegiate head coaching career.