Steve Alford: A Legacy in Basketball Coaching and Playing

Stephen Todd Alford, born November 23, 1964, is a prominent figure in American men's college basketball, both as a coach and a former player. Currently, he is the head coach for the Nevada Wolf Pack of the Mountain West Conference (MWC). Alford's journey in basketball is marked by achievements at every level, from high school to the NBA and, ultimately, to a successful coaching career.

Early Life and High School Career

Alford was born in Franklin, Indiana, and spent his formative years in New Castle. Basketball was ingrained in his life from a young age, with his father, Sam Alford, coaching the high school team in Monroe City. Steve's early exposure to the game, including attending basketball camps led by the legendary Coach Bob Knight, laid the foundation for his future success.

Playing for his father at New Castle Chrysler High School, Alford's talent blossomed. By his senior year in 1983, he averaged an impressive 37.2 points per game, earning him the prestigious Indiana "Mr. Basketball" award.

Collegiate Career at Indiana University

Alford's decision to play for Bob Knight at Indiana University Bloomington proved to be a defining chapter in his career. As a Hoosier, he became the university's all-time leading scorer with 2,438 points, a record later surpassed by Calbert Cheaney. He also achieved the distinction of being the first player to be named the team's MVP four times.

1984 Summer Olympics

In the summer following his freshman year, Alford was selected to play on the US basketball team at the 1984 Summer Olympics, under the tutelage of Coach Knight. He contributed significantly to the team's success, averaging 10.3 points per game and showcasing his shooting prowess with a .644 field goal percentage. The team secured the gold medal, adding to Alford's growing list of accomplishments.

Read also: BYU Years: Steve Young's Rise

1987 NCAA Championship

Alford's collegiate career culminated in the 1987 NCAA Championship, where he led Indiana to victory. Playing his Hoosier career under legendary head coach Bob Knight, the 1983 Indiana Mr. Basketball was a two-time consensus NCAA All-American (1986-87), a three-time selection to the All-Big Ten First Team, and the Big Ten MVP in 1987. His contributions to the team and his individual accolades solidified his place among the legends of college basketball.

NBA Career

Following his illustrious college career, Alford was drafted 26th overall in the 1987 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. He played for four seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Mavericks, and also had a stint with the Golden State Warriors.

Coaching Career

After his playing career, Alford transitioned to coaching, beginning at Manchester University, a Division III school in North Manchester, Indiana.

Manchester University (1991-1995)

Alford began his college coaching career in North Manchester, Indiana in 1991 as head coach of the Division III Manchester University's basketball program. During his four seasons with the team, Alford had a record of 78-29. When Alford began coaching that team, the team had lost its first eight games. During his first season there Alford won four of 20 games. In his first full season as coach the team posted a record of 20-8. In 1994 and 1995 Manchester won conference titles, and in Alford's final three seasons the team competed in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Under Alford, the team won three straight conference tournament titles (1993, 1994, 1995). The team advanced to the Division III championship game in 1995, placing second in the nation after suffering its first defeat in 32 games. In 1993, 1994, and 1995 Alford was named the Indiana Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year. In the 1994-95 season the Manchester team was inducted into the school Hall of Fame. At Manchester College, Alford earned conference coach of the year honors three times.

Southwest Missouri State University (1995-1999)

Following his time at Manchester, Alford was named the head coach at Southwest Missouri State University, now Missouri State University. He began his position there in the 1995-96 season, and would remain there until 1999. During his time at Missouri State, his teams posted a 78-48 record.

Read also: Steve Madden Style for Students

University of Iowa (1999-2007)

Alford was named the head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball program on March 22, 1999. Although his first game as coach was a 70-68 victory against the defending national champion Connecticut Huskies at Madison Square Garden, his team went 14-16 during his first season at Iowa. During his second year (2000-01) the Hawkeyes went 23-12 in the regular season and 7-9 in the Big Ten Conference regular season, but they won the Big Ten Conference men's basketball tournament with four straight wins against Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, and Indiana. The Hawkeyes' conference record dropped to 5-11 during the 2001-02 season, but they defeated Purdue, Wisconsin, and Indiana in the Big Ten tournament before losing to Ohio State in the finals. The Hawkeyes played in the National Invitation Tournament that season, but lost to LSU in the first round to finish with a 19-16 record. This was the first of three straight seasons that the Hawkeyes played in the NIT under Alford. They won the first two rounds of the 2003 tournament against Valparaiso and Iowa State before losing to Georgia Tech, finishing with a 17-14 record. That season, leading scorer Pierre Pierce was charged with raping a female Iowa athlete. Alford was adamant about Pierce's innocence. A plea bargain was reached where Pierce pleaded guilty to a lesser charge. He was suspended from the team and redshirted.[10] In 2004, Iowa lost to St. The Hawkeyes finished 21-12 with a 7-9 conference record in the 2004-2005 regular season, but they won their first two Big Ten tournament games against Purdue and Michigan State before losing the third game to Wisconsin, 59-56. They earned an at-large invitation to the 2005 NCAA tournament as a #10 seed, where they lost 76-64 to Cincinnati in the first round. During the 2005-06 season, the Hawkeyes went undefeated at Carver-Hawkeye Arena and finished in a second-place tie with Illinois with an 11-5 conference record, one game behind Ohio State. However, the Hawkeyes defeated Minnesota, Michigan State, and Ohio State to win the Big Ten tournament and finish 25-8 going into its third NCAA tournament under Alford. They were seeded #3 in the Atlanta Regional of the 2006 NCAA tournament, but lost in a first-round upset to No. During the 2006-2007 season, Alford led the Hawkeyes to an 8-6 non-conference record (losing to in-state rivals Drake and Northern Iowa) and a 9-7 record in the Big Ten Conference (17-14 overall). Iowa failed to make the NCAA tournament or the NIT. At the conclusion of the 2006-2007 season, Alford resigned from the University of Iowa to accept the coaching position at the University of New Mexico.

University of New Mexico (2007-2013)

Alford was named head coach at the University of New Mexico on March 23, 2007, replacing the fired Ritchie McKay. In his first year as the Lobos coach Alford posted a record of 24-9, 11-5 in league play. Twenty-four wins is the most for a New Mexico head coach in their first year. The Lobos were led by future 1st round Boston Celtics draft pick J. R. Giddens. In his second season, led by seniors Daniel Faris, Tony Danridge and Chad Toppert, Alford guided the Lobos to their first conference championship in 15 years. He earned the MWC Coach of the Year Award for his team's performance. Alford also set a record for most wins in the first two seasons for a UNM head coach. Alford and his New Mexico squad fell just short of the NCAA tourney and ended up with their second consecutive NIT bid. His third year, coaching a mostly young, untested team, Alford's Lobos nevertheless won the regular season MWC title for the second year in a row, were ranked in the top 15 for the majority of the year, and earned a #3 seed in the NCAA tournament, the team's first bid since 2005. In the first round, they survived a tough game against Montana 62-57, but despite Dairese Gary's 28 points, fell in the second round to an upstart Washington side. The 2010-2011 season started with Alford's group at 12-4 after non-conference play, but the team struggled to an 8-8 conference regular season record. Drew Gordon and Dairese Gary led a talented team that underachieved much throughout the year into the conference tournament. The team seemed poised to make a run in the MWC conference tournament, but a tragic ACL injury to Gary in the semi-finals against BYU proved to be too much to overcome for this young UNM squad. Alford also had a confrontation with a Brigham Young player in which Alford called him an "extremely vulgar" name, according to the Wall Street Journal.[13] Their 2010-2011 season ended with an NIT loss to Alabama 74-67. The 2011-2012 season began with a rough patch. UNM was picked to win the league for the first time in Alford's five years at the helm, but the team started a questionable 2-2 with losses to home state rival NMSU and a bottom feeder WCC team in Santa Clara. UNM then raced off to a twelve-game win streak and finished the non-conference season at 14-2. UNM then went on to have a 10-4 conference regular season record and a share of the conference title with arch-rival San Diego State. It was only fitting that the regular season co-champions would square off in the MWC tournament title game. With Drew Gordon and Demetrius Walker leading a battle tested UNM team in the championship, Alford and his Lobos prevailed to a 69-58 conference tournament title. UNM received a fifth seed in the NCAA West region, and they defeated Casper Ware and the Long Beach State 49ers in their first game of the NCAA tournament. In the 2012-2013 season, with a vicious defensive team, Alford led his Lobo squad to a 26-5 regular season record, winning the Mountain West Regular Season conference title. Alford won his third MWC coach of the year honor, and New Mexico garnered another Player of the Year award in Kendall Williams. New Mexico was primed to make a deep run in the NCAA tournament after winning the MWC conference tournament for the second straight year. At 29-5 entering the tournament, New Mexico was an early favorite as a Final Four participant by several analysts and publications, but Alford and his No.

UCLA (2013-2018)

On March 30, 2013, Alford signed a seven-year, $18.2-million contract to become the head coach of the UCLA Bruins,[9] joining a program that has won a record 11 national titles.[14] He replaced the fired Ben Howland, who was coming off a blowout loss in the first round of the 2013 NCAA tournament after UCLA had captured the Pac-12 Conference regular season title with a new up-tempo offense. Overall, Howland won four conference titles and reached the Final Four three straight times (2006-2008) with the Bruins.[15][16] Alford had a 5-7 NCAA tournament record,[17] and had only advanced his teams beyond the first weekend of the tournament once before, when he led his Cinderella squad from Southwest Missouri State to the Sweet 16 in 1999.[9] UCLA tasked Alford with reviving their offense, connecting with a new generation of players, and rejuvenating its fan base.[9][14] He accepted the UCLA position just three days after he had signed a 10-year extension at New Mexico.[18] At UCLA's introductory news conference, Alford was questioned about his handling of Pierce in Iowa, and he stated that he did "everything that [he] was told to do."[10] Criticism grew over his hiring, especially over his handling of Pierce. Two weeks after his hiring, Alford apologized for declaring Pierce's innocence "before the legal system had run its course. Soon after his hiring, Alford filled his head assistant coaching staff position with good friend and former John Calipari assistant Ed Schilling. Also hired were David Grace, a rising assistant who spent 2008-2013 on the Oregon State staff, and Duane Broussard, who spent 2008-2013 as Alf…

During his UCLA tenure he coached 11 NBA Draft picks, including seven first-rounders: Zach Lavine, Jordan Adams, and Kyle Anderson (2014), Kevon Looney (2015), Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf (2017), and Aaron Holiday (2018).

Nevada Wolf Pack (2019-Present)

NCAA Champion, All-American, and Olympic Gold Medalist Steve Alford enters his seventh season at the helm of the Wolf Pack program in 2025-26. Alford’s career-win total of 717 victories places him 10th among all active Division I coaches in career wins. Although the Wolf Pack ended the 2024-25 season 17-16 eliminating the chance of a third appearance in a row to the NCAA tournament, Alford has the Wolf Pack continuing its upward momentum. The 2023-24 campaign featured numerous high points, including Alford leading the Wolf Pack back into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2019. Lucas had a sensational season for the Pack. The 2022-23 campaign displayed Alford’s ability to tap the full potential of his roster. After losing 58.1 percent of the scoring output from the previous season to the transfer portal, and losing seniors K.J. Hymes and Hunter McIntosh to injury at the beginning of the season, Alford led the Pack to a 22-11 overall record, fourth-place finish in the Mountain West, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2018-19 season. Nevada had an impressive outing at the 2022 Cayman Islands Classic at the beginning of the season, claiming a third-place finish in the outstanding field. The Pack matched a program record following the completion of the regular season, as five different players earned All-MW recognition. Nevada earned its 10th NCAA Tournament berth in program history following the completion of the regular season, marking Alford’s 12th career appearance in the tournament. In the 2020-21 campaign, Alford also showcased his ability to make the most of his roster. The 2019-20 campaign was highlighted by Alford winning his 600th-career game Jan. 25, 2020, when Nevada defeated New Mexico 96-74 at Lawlor Events Center. Virgin Islands. In 2012, he led his New Mexico squad to the title. Four members of Alford's first Nevada team garnered postseason honors led by Harris. Harris was named to the NABC and USBWA all-district teams after leading the Mountain West in scoring at 21.6 points per game. He was also a Mountain West coaches and media first team selection. Three times he was named the Mountain West Player of the Week, and on Feb. 9 was the Oscar Robertson Player of the Week. Johnson was named to the Mountain West coaches second team and media third team. Senior Nizre Zouzoua was the Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year as selected by the coaches and media. Johnson earned the Sixth Man of the Year honor in 2019. Another of the Pack seniors, Lindsey Drew, was named the Mountain West All-Defensive team for the second time in his career and was an honorable mention pick by the coaches and media. Alford is the 19th coach in the history of the Nevada program. No stranger to the Mountain West, Alford led New Mexico to four regular season and two tournament titles in six seasons (2007-14) as the Lobos head coach. In 2009, 2010 and 2013 he was named the Mountain West Coach of the Year. He posted a record of 155-52 at New Mexico and was 68-26 in conference play. Three of his New Mexico players; JR Giddens (2008), Darington Hobson (2010) and Kendal Williams (2013) were named Mountain West Player of the Year. The Lobos 30 wins in 2012 and 29 in 2013 are the two highest win totals in program history. The 2012 and 2013 teams secured No.

Style and Legacy

Alford is considered one of the best free throw shooters in the history of the game. Alford's free throw percentage of .897 (535-596) is ninth best in the history of the NCAA. His form at the foul line is so routine that it inspired a famous mantra from Indiana fans: "Socks, shorts, 1-2-3 swish". In 17 seasons he has led his teams to 20 or more wins, and thrice to 30 or more victories.

Alford's wife Tanya said, "Everybody talks about his hair, his all-American image, how mothers would want him to marry their daughter. Everybody thinks he's so perfect. Well, that's a pretty accurate image.

He is married to the former Tanya Frost. The couple has two sons Kory and Bryce and a daughter Kayla.

Achievements and Accolades

NCAA Champion (1987)
Two-time Consensus NCAA All-American (1986-87)
Three-time All-Big Ten First Team selection
Big Ten MVP (1987)
Olympic Gold Medalist (1984)
Indiana Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year (1993, 1994, 1995)
Mountain West Coach of the Year (2009, 2010, 2013)
10th among all active Division I coaches in career wins

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