Hall of Fame basketball coach Lute Olson, who built Arizona into a national power and guided the Wildcats to the school's only NCAA championship, has died at age 85.
Olson was hospitalized last year after suffering a stroke, and was recently moved into hospice care.
His death was confirmed by family to Arizona media outlets.
Olson went 589-187 in 24 seasons at Arizona and guided the Wildcats to four Final Four appearances, 23 consecutive NCAA tournaments and 11 Pac-10 titles, as well as the national title in 1997.
He was inducted into the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, and a statue of Olson was erected outside the McKale Memorial Center in 2018.
Olson finished his coaching career with a record of 776-285 in 34 seasons at Arizona, Iowa and Long Beach State.
Arizona won just four games in 1982-83, the season before Olson arrived in Tucson, and had reached the NCAA tournament twice since 1951.
But the Wildcats turned things around quickly under Olson, reaching the NCAA tournament in his second season at the school and advancing to the school's first Final Four in 1987-88, when they finished 35-3.
Arizona reached the Final Four again in 1994 before winning its first and only NCAA title in 1997, when freshman Mike Bibby and junior Miles Simon led Olson and the Wildcats past heavily favored Kentucky in the championship game. That team remains the only one since seeding began in 1979 to defeat three No. 1 seeds en route to winning the title.
The Wildcats also advanced to the national championship game under Olson in 2001, when they were defeated by Duke.
Overall, Olson won seven NCAA tournament games against No. 1 seeds (7-5 record). The only coach to win more such games since 1979 is Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, who is 8-7 in those games.
Olson started his coaching career in 1973-74 at Long Beach State, where he went 24-2, before being hired at Iowa the following season. He coached the Hawkeyes to the NCAA tournament five times in nine seasons.
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August 28, 2020 at 10:30AM
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Hall of Fame basketball coach Lute Olson dies at 85 - ESPN
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