Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to headline Don Meyer Evening of Excellence April 16

Kim Chaudoin | 

Legendary Duke University Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski will be the featured speaker at Lipscomb University’s Third Annual Don Meyer Evening of Excellence, Director of Athletics Philip Hutcheson recently announced.

The event is set for April 16 at 7:30 p.m. in Lipscomb’s Allen Arena. Tickets are on sale now at lipscombsports.com and range in price from $25 to $300.

“Mike Krzyzewski is one of the most successful and most respected coaches in college basketball. He is passionate about basketball and about molding his players into successful men on and off the court. He consistently runs a quality program from top to bottom, from the players he recruits to the performance of his teams on the floor. We are thrilled he is coming to Lipscomb and are certain his message is one that will inspire everyone,” said Hutcheson.

Krzyzewski, a Hall of Fame coach and 12-time National Coach of the Year, is in his 31st year as the head coach of the Blue Devils. He has built a powerhouse that few programs in the history of the sport can match. Among his accomplishments:

  • Four-time national champion
  • Olympic Gold Medal Coach (2008 - Beijing)
  • Elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001

  •  One of only six coaches to reach the 800 win level in the NCAA

  •  Eight-time National Coach of the Year

  •  Seven National Players of the Year
  • 77 NCAA Tournament Victories (Most all-time)

A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he directed service teams for three years and then followed that up with two years as head coach of the U.S. Military Academy Prep School in Belvoir, Va. In 1974, he resigned from the Army having attained the rank of captain. When Krzyzewski was just 26, Bobby Knight, his former coach at Army, called and offered him a graduate assistant slot at Indiana University. That 1975 squad posted an 18-0 Big Ten mark and a 31-1 record. Prior to joining the Duke program, Krzyzewski spent five years building the program at his alma mater in West Point. He led the Cadets to one NIT berth, one ECAC playoff appearance and a five-year record of 73-59. In 1980, Krzyzewski was named head coach at Duke.


Krzyzewski is very involved in community programs, including being a current chairman of the Duke Children’s Miracle Network Telethon and assuming vital roles at the Duke Children’s Classic, the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research and the NABC Foundation (current president). In 2000, he was named the first recipient of the GTE Reads with the NABC Literacy Champion Award. In honor of Krzyzewski’s selection, GTE (now Verizon) donated $10,000 to support Duke Athletics’ literacy program, Verizon Read with the Blue Devils.

The Don Meyer Evening of Excellence is an annual athletic fundraising event named after long-time Lipscomb University men’s basketball coach Don Meyer who impacted the lives of countless thousands while at the helm of the Bisons.  Meyer, the winningest men’s collegiate basketball coach of all-time, was involved in a life-changing car accident on Sept. 5, 2008 that led to eight surgeries and the amputation of his left leg below the knee. He was subsequently diagnosed with cancer in his liver and small intestine.  Meyer was awarded the “Jimmy V Award for Perseverance” from ESPN at the ESPY Awards in July 2009.


Visit lipscombsports.com for more information.