DIGGER PHELPS Staff

Bio

Inducted into the Purcell Pavilion Ring of Honor on January 19, 2014
Led Notre Dame to a sterling 393-197 record and 66.6 winning percentage over his 20 seasons on the Irish hardwood
During his coaching tenure, his Irish teams earned 14 NCAA tournament berths — including six of the last seven seasons — with his 1977-78 squad advancing to the program’s only Final Four appearance
His teams posted 13 20-win campaigns and seven times he led Notre Dame to victories over number-one ranked teams
Three of those teams participated in the National Invitation Tournament with the 1972-73 and 1983-84 clubs earning runner-up finishes
While Notre Dame’s victory over UCLA on January 19, 1974, clearly remains one of the greatest upsets over a number-one ranked team in college basketball history, Phelps also directed his Irish teams to wins over six other top-ranked foes: San Francisco (93-82 in 1977); Marquette (65-59 in 1978); DePaul (76-74 in double-overtime); Kentucky (67-61 in 1980), Virginia (57-56 in 1981) and North Carolina (60-58 in 1981)
Five Irish players under Phelps — John Shumate, Gary Brokaw, Adrian Dantley, Kelly Tripucka and John Paxson — earned first-team All-America recognition, while 11 players were selected in the first round of the NBA draft