Greg Kampe Enjoying Oakland's Moment 40 Years in the Making

Greg Kampe has coached Oakland for 40 years, now his Golden Grizzlies find themselves in the spotlight.

Greg Kampe / Tim Nwachukwu/GettyImages

This is Greg Kampe's 40th year at the helm of Oakland University's basketball program. He's the longest-tenured active men's basketball coach in the country, winner of 699 career games, and a member of two different sports Halls of Fame. Now Kampe is the architect of one of the year's biggest upsets after his No. 14 seed Golden Grizzlies took down No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Speaking to reporters the day after Oakland's 80-76 victory, Kampe appreciated the enormity of the moment and realized it may follow him to his grave. Literally. Kampe had the following to say when The Athletic asked if he considered that the win over Kentucky might be mentioned in his obituary:

“Well, that is morbid,” he said with a laugh, “But it’s true. ‘He beat Kentucky.’ Wow, I didn’t think about that, but you’re right. You’re 100 percent right. Wow. And that might be the first thing they say when I’m gone. ‘Here lies Greg Kampe, who beat Kentucky.’ Huh. I wouldn’t mind that at all.”

The story of Oakland University is exactly what March Madness is all about. Kampe has overseen the basketball program since 1984, ushering the team into Division I in 1999 and leading it to three NCAA Tournament appearances entering this season. This year's team is led by Jack Gohlke, a 24-year-old transfer student who has recorded 347 three-point attempts and eight two-point attempts over the course of the season. He had 32 points on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor (all three-point attempts) against Kentucky.

This year's upset is the culmination of 40 years' worth of work from Kampe. And while today's college coaching environment suggests an avalanche of publicity could launch Kampe to another job, he is more than happy to tell everybody otherwise.

"[Five years ago] I’d be thinking, ‘Oh, this is great. How do I parlay it into a $5 million job?" Kampe said. "But that's not going to happen now. So you don’t even think that way. I’ve got three years left on my contract and maybe this gets me an extension for a couple more. What you think about now is the school you’ve spent 40 years trying to help and what this moment is doing for them.”

That's all that matters to Kampe right now. He wants to talk about how great this is for Oakland and the life-changing moments his players are experiencing this week. He wants his team and everyone else at the school to enjoy every second of this. But Kampe also wants the world to remember Oakland isn't done yet. A true Cinderella run, like that of Saint Peter's from 2023, is very much on the table.

Every year the NCAA Tournament gives audiences a surprise rooting interest and personalities who seem tailor-made for the moment. This year, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies fit the bill. Kampe, Gohlke and the rest of the team's roster have found themselves at the center of attention. The world will find out how they respond this weekend, but the Kentucky win will live on in March Madness history.

Liam McKeone is a staff writer for The Big Lead.