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Bob Huggins Living with Progressive Cognitive Condition
Confirmed
In Short: The family of college basketball coaching legend Bob Huggins announced he is living with a progressive cognitive condition that affects his memory and daily life.
The family of college basketball coaching legend Bob Huggins announced Wednesday that he is living with a progressive cognitive condition that has begun to affect his memory and aspects of his daily life.
Huggins, 73, is a Hall of Fame coach with 935 career wins and 26 NCAA tournament appearances, including two Final Four appearances.
During his 16-year tenure at the University of Cincinnati, Huggins had a.757 winning percentage and led the Bearcats to 14 NCAA tournament appearances.
Huggins, a West Virginia native, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022 and is set to be inducted into the University of Cincinnati's Hall of Fame this week.
Huggins began his coaching career as an assistant at West Virginia in 1977 and went on to coach at Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia.
At Cincinnati, Huggins is the all-time winningest head coach with 399 wins from 1989 to 2005, making 14 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
Huggins spent 16 seasons at West Virginia, leading the Mountaineers to the Final Four in 2010, and had a record of 345-203 with nine 20-win seasons.
The family said they had kept the diagnosis private for several months but decided to share the information as Huggins prepares to be inducted into the University of Cincinnati's Hall of Fame.
What this adds
The condition's impact on Huggins' daily life remains unspecified, and the family emphasized his focus on relationships and experiences that bring him joy.
Background
West Virginia is a mountainous, landlocked state in the Southern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania and Maryland to the northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest.
What's confirmed
- The family of college basketball coaching legend Bob Huggins announced Wednesday he's "living with a progressive cognitive condition that has begun to affect his memory, and aspects of his daily life."
- The West Virginia native was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
- Huggins, who is the all-time winningest head coach in Cincinnati basketball history, is set to be inducted into the school's Hall of Fame class this week.
- "Although Bob and his family recognize the challenges that lie ahead, they remain focused on the relationships, experiences and moments that bring him joy," the statement said.
- Huggins, 73, won 935 career games and coached in 26 NCAA tournaments and two Final Fours during stints at Walsh (then-NAIA), Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State and West Virginia.
- He restored Cincinnati basketball to national prominence, ignited a passion for the Bearcats throughout our city and left an indelible mark on generations of student-athletes.
- Coach Huggins is undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history.
- The 73-year-old Huggins served as head coach at West Virginia from 2007-2023.
What's still developing
- His 863 wins rank 10th in men's Division I history.
- Huggins initially resigned from his post at West Virginia and subsequently retired in 2023 after being arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
- Arguably Huggins' best season at West Virginia came in 2009-10, when he led the Mountaineers to the Final Four for the first time since 1959.
- Huggins’ family released a statement on his health in coordination with the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department ahead of the 73-year-old's induction into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame.
- FILE - Bob Huggins arrives for the Basketball Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony in Springfield, Mass, Sept.
- West Virginia coach Bob Huggins (left) in a heated discussion with referee Keith Kimble.
- “Throughout his extraordinary basketball journey, Bob’s greatest impact has extended far beyond wins, championships, and the basketball court,” the family said.
- West Virginia University had not issued a public statement regarding Huggins’ health as of publication.
- "His defining passion has always been the young men he coached, the relationships he built, and the lives he helped shape," the family said in its statement.