CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Leonard Hamilton has coached his final college basketball game following Florida State University‘s most recent loss in the ACC tournament to Syracuse. Now, after a 54-year coaching career, which began at Austin Peay State University, he steps away from the game that he gave so much to.
Hamilton spent 22 seasons as the head coach for the FSU Seminoles, where he became the program’s winningest coach with 404 victories. He is also the fifth all-time winningest coach in ACC history. However, before his success as a head coach, Hamilton started out as a graduate assistant with Austin Peay in 1971.
From Austin Peay to UK
After an accomplished playing career at UT Martin, Hamilton joined Lake Kelly’s coaching staff at Austin Peay, where he served as a graduate assistant from 1971-72 before becoming a full-time assistant from 1972-74.
According to Austin Peay Athletics, Hamilton’s reputation as a players’ coach began at APSU when he helped recruit the likes of James “Fly” Williams, Danny Odums and Ralph Garner, among other players of the era that helped the Governors gain national exposure.
With the assistance of Hamilton, Austin Peay compiled a record of 49-31 with back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances, the Govs first at the Division-I level. He left APSU to become an assistant coach and chief recruiter at the University of Kentucky after the 1973-74 season.
He spent 12 seasons at Kentucky, where he contributed to the Wildcats’ 1978 NCAA championship title run and later earned the title of associate head coach, which marked the first in program history. Hamilton then received his first head coaching opportunity with Oklahoma State in 1986.
Head coaching background
Hamilton served as the men’s basketball coach for University of Miami, where he had much success. He took over the Hurricane program in 1990, months before Miami joined the Big East conference, according to University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. After years of developing his program, Hamilton was able to lead the Hurricanes to three straight NCAA tournament appearances from 1998-2000.
He was later named a two-time Big East Coach of the Year and led his 1999-2000 squad to its first-ever Big East co-championship, along with a Sweet 16 appearance. In 2000-01, Hamilton decided to transition from college basketball to the NBA after accepting the opportunity to coach the Washington Wizards. However, he would coach the Wizards for one lone season before returning to the college ranks in 2003 when he accepted the head coaching position at Florida State.
Now, after a 22-year career with the Seminoles, which included four trips to the Sweet 16 and one trip to an Elite Eight, Hamilton calls it a career.
Hamilton’s career honors
Here’s a list of additional milestones Hamilton achieved throughout his career, according to Florida State athletics and Sports Reference – College Basketball.
- 36 seasons as a collegiate head coach (604-481, .557 winning percentage).
- 22 seasons at Florida State (404-271, .599 winning percentage).
- 11 NCAA tournament appearances as a head coach.
- 2021 Ben Jobe National Minority Coach of the Year.
- 2009, 2012 and 2020 ACC Coach of the Year.
- 2018 Clarence “Big House” Gaines National Coach of the Year.
- 2016-17 Midseason National Coach of the Year.
- 2009 Basketball Times National Coach of the Year.
- University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame Inductee (2006).
- 2000 BCA National Coach of the Year.
- APSU Sports Hall of Fame Inductee (2000).
- 1995 and 1999 Big East Coach of the Year.
- 1995 UPI National Coach of the Year.
- 1983 UT Martin Sports Hall of Fame Inductee (1983)
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