Coach Lon Kruger's College Record

[SoonerTraveler]

Coach Lon Kruger's College Record as head coach is listed year-by-year below. He has turned around several losing programs during his career. Florida had never reached the Final-4 until Kruger took them there.

Coach Kruger has completed 7 seasons at OU, averaging 20 wins per season (140-91; 65-61 Big-12)

Texas Pan-Am (1982-86) 52-59 | .469
* Inherited a 5-20 team
* 82-83 .. 7-21
* 83-84 .. 13-14
* 84-85 .. 12-16
* 85-86 .. 20-8

Kansas State (1986-90) 81-46 | .638
Reached NCAA Tournament 100% of the time
* Inherited a 16-14 squad
* 86-87 .. 20-11 (8-6) .. NCAA 2nd Round
* 87-88 .. 25-9 (11-3) .. NCAA Elite Eight
* 88-89 .. 19-11 (8-6) .. NCAA 1st Round
* 89-90 .. 17-15 (7-7) .. NCAA 1st Round

Florida (1990-96) 104-80 | .565 | Took Florida to its first ever Final Four
* Inherited 7-21 team
* 90-91 .. 11-17 (7-11)
* 91-92 .. 19-14 (9-7) .. NIT Semifinal
* 92-93 .. 16-12 (9-7) .. NIT 1st Round
* 93-94 .. 29-8 (12-4) .. NCAA Final Four
* 94-95 .. 17-13 (8-8) .. NCAA 1st Round
* 95-96 .. 12-16 (6-10)

Illinois (1996-2000) 81-48 | .628
Three Trips to NCAA Tournament 2nd round
* Inherited 18-11 team
* 96-97 .. 22-10 (11-7) .. NCAA 2nd Round
* 97-98 .. 23-10 (13-3) .. NCAA 2nd Round
* 98-99 .. 14-18 (3-13)
* 99-00 .. 22-10 (11-5) .. NCAA 2nd Round

(Coached in NBA)

UNLV (2004-2011) 161-71 | .694
Led UNLV to its first Sweet 16 since the Tark's classic 90-91 teams.
* Inherited 18-13 team
* 04-05 .. 17-14 (7-7) .. NIT 2nd Round
* 05-06 .. 17-13 (10-6)
* 06-07 .. 30-7 (12-4) .. NCAA Sweet 16
* 07-08 .. 27-8 (12-4) .. NCAA 2nd Round
* 08-09 .. 21-11 (9-7) .. NIT 1st Round
* 09-10 .. 25-9 (11-5) .. NCAA 1st Round
* 10-11 .. 24-9 (11-5) .. NCAA 1st Round
****Over last 5 years UNLV averaged 25.4 Wins per season****


Oklahoma (2012-Present) 140-91 | .606 (65-61 in Big-12 Games)
* Inherited 14-18 team
*11-12 .. 15-16 (5-13)
*12-13 .. 20-12 (11-7) .. NCAA 1st Round
*13-14 .. 23-10 (12-6) .. NCAA 1st Round
*14-15 .. 24-11 (12-6) .. NCAA Sweet-16
*15-16 .. 29-8 (12-6) .. NCAA Final-4
*16-17 .. 11-20 (5-13)
*17-18 .. 18-14 (8-10) .. NCAA 1st Round

 

[WTSooner]

Too many ups and downs throughout his career for my liking. And too large of turns. Constant roller coaster with him as coach.

 

[WichitaSooner]

Too many ups and downs throughout his career for my liking. And too large of turns. Constant roller coaster with him as coach.

To me, that actually looks pretty consistent save for the final year or two at Florida. Outside the true blue bloods, just about every program will have some ebb and flow over the course of a few seasons. Even some of the top programs miss the tourney from time to time. Look at Wisconsin, Indiana, UCLA, UConn, etc. A key injury (e.g., Jordan Woodard last season) or transfer can easily cause you to drop off by a few games in a given season.

 

[Sooner81]

Coach Lon Kruger's College Record as head coach is listed year-by-year below. He has turned around several losing programs during his career. Florida had never reached the Final-4 until Kruger took them there.

Coach Kruger has completed 7 seasons at OU, averaging 20 wins per season (140-91; 65-61 Big-12)

Texas Pan-Am (1982-86) 52-59 | .469
* Inherited a 5-20 team
* 82-83 .. 7-21
* 83-84 .. 13-14
* 84-85 .. 12-16
* 85-86 .. 20-8

Kansas State (1986-90) 81-46 | .638
Reached NCAA Tournament 100% of the time
* Inherited a 16-14 squad
* 86-87 .. 20-11 (8-6) .. NCAA 2nd Round
* 87-88 .. 25-9 (11-3) .. NCAA Elite Eight
* 88-89 .. 19-11 (8-6) .. NCAA 1st Round
* 89-90 .. 17-15 (7-7) .. NCAA 1st Round

Florida (1990-96) 104-80 | .565 | Took Florida to its first ever Final Four
* Inherited 7-21 team
* 90-91 .. 11-17 (7-11)
* 91-92 .. 19-14 (9-7) .. NIT Semifinal
* 92-93 .. 16-12 (9-7) .. NIT 1st Round
* 93-94 .. 29-8 (12-4) .. NCAA Final Four
* 94-95 .. 17-13 (8-8) .. NCAA 1st Round
* 95-96 .. 12-16 (6-10)

Illinois (1996-2000) 81-48 | .628
Three Trips to NCAA Tournament 2nd round
* Inherited 18-11 team
* 96-97 .. 22-10 (11-7) .. NCAA 2nd Round
* 97-98 .. 23-10 (13-3) .. NCAA 2nd Round
* 98-99 .. 14-18 (3-13)
* 99-00 .. 22-10 (11-5) .. NCAA 2nd Round

(Coached in NBA)

UNLV (2004-2011) 161-71 | .694
Led UNLV to its first Sweet 16 since the Tark's classic 90-91 teams.
* Inherited 18-13 team
* 04-05 .. 17-14 (7-7) .. NIT 2nd Round
* 05-06 .. 17-13 (10-6)
* 06-07 .. 30-7 (12-4) .. NCAA Sweet 16
* 07-08 .. 27-8 (12-4) .. NCAA 2nd Round
* 08-09 .. 21-11 (9-7) .. NIT 1st Round
* 09-10 .. 25-9 (11-5) .. NCAA 1st Round
* 10-11 .. 24-9 (11-5) .. NCAA 1st Round
****Over last 5 years UNLV averaged 25.4 Wins per season****


Oklahoma (2012-Present) 140-91 | .606 (65-61 in Big-12 Games)
* Inherited 14-18 team
*11-12 .. 15-16 (5-13)
*12-13 .. 20-12 (11-7) .. NCAA 1st Round
*13-14 .. 23-10 (12-6) .. NCAA 1st Round
*14-15 .. 24-11 (12-6) .. NCAA Sweet-16
*15-16 .. 29-8 (12-6) .. NCAA Final-4
*16-17 .. 11-20 (5-13)
*17-18 .. 18-14 (8-10) .. NCAA 1st Round

I’m pleased with him and we are not a Blue Blood like in football and don’t expect perfection every year. And I love his openness to the public like practices and I love his clean approach to everything - never have to worry about NCAA problems for sure. And most years we will go to the tourney with Him and every once in a while sweet sixteen and possible Final Four.

 

[Romulus]

His 98-99 year is just like the 2016 season- UGLY!

 

[AdaSooner]

One more season at OU will be the longest stay at any school during Lon’s career.

 

[Romulus]

His last year at Florida was horrible, it’s odd how he throws in a few total abortions after several good to great years

 

[TulsaWorld]

Guerin Emig had some interesting Coach Kruger quotes in a column this weekend...

There’s a method to a guy winning over 600 games, taking four programs to the Sweet 16 and two to the Final Four. Kruger presents himself to the Sooners pretty much the same as he did to the Texas Pan-American Broncs in 1982.

But here it gets a little more interesting, and telling.

“Inwardly, internally with our staff, yeah, we were searching. We were grasping at times,” Kruger continued. “We were trying different things for sure, yeah. We’re not real public with what we’re doing. It’s always about team. It’s always internal. It’s always about promoting the right things.

“But when you don’t push the right buttons, if you will, or get the results, you always battle that.”

This was a particularly rough fight. Kruger hadn’t been through anything quite like this over his previous 31 years of coaching college.

“Not to those extremes,” he said. “To be hitting on all cylinders early and not on many late, no not to that degree. You like to think you’re playing better as the year goes along, and getting better. When you don’t do that, and we didn’t this year, it’s disappointing.”

 

[TINY]

He might just have his worst record since Texas pan am next season. Yikes.

 

[Romulus]

I think next year will be worse than the 2016 season