Butch van Breda Kolff
Butch van Breda Kolff (1922-2007)
Teams coached: Lafayette Leopards, Hofstra Pride, Princeton Tigers, New Orleans Privateers
Lafayette record: 132-85 (.608)
Hofstra record^: 215-134 (.616)
Princeton record: 103-31 (.769)
New Orleans record: 32-22 (.593)
Overall record^: 482-272 (.639)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1967)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 3 (1964, 1965, 1967)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 1 (1965)
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1955)
- East Coast Regular Season Champion: 3 (1988, 1990, 1992)
- Ivy League Regular Season Champion: 4 (1963, 1964, 1965, 1967)
- Middle Three Regular Season Champion: 1 (1952)
- East Coast Tournament Champion: 1 (1994)
- Sun Belt Tournament Champion: 1 (1978)
- NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances: 2 (1959, 1962)
Awards:
- NABC Coach of the Year: 1 (1965)
- Henry Iba Award: 1 (1965)
- Sun Belt Coach of the Year: 1 (1978)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1988-1994 | Hofstra |
| 1984-1988 | Lafayette |
| 1979-1981 | New Orleans Pride |
| 1977-1979 | New Orleans |
| 1974-1977 | New Orleans Jazz |
| 1973-1974 | Memphis Tams |
| 1972-1973 | Phoenix Suns |
| 1969-1972 | Detroit Pistons |
| 1967-1969 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1962-1967 | Princeton |
| 1955-1962 | Hofstra |
| 1951-1955 | Lafayette |
Butch van Breda Kolff Facts
- Willem Hendrik van Breda Kolff
- Born October 28, 1922
- Hometown: Montclair, New Jersey
- Alma Mater: Princeton University (BA, 1943)
- Played at Princeton for two years under Franklin “Cappy” Cappon after serving in the US Marines during World War II
- Spent four seasons with the New York Knicks, playing for head coaches Neil Cohalan and Joe Lapchick
- Became the head coach at Lafayette in 1951, his first of two stints at the school; also spent seven years as the head coach at Hofstra while the program was a Division II member
- Returned to his alma mater in 1962 to become the head coach of the Princeton Tigers; led the team to the NCAA Final Four in 1965, still the only FF appearance in school history
- Coached professional basketball teams from 1967-1977, including stints with the Lakers, Pistons and New Orleans Jazz
- Went to two straight NBA Finals with the Lakers (1968 & 1969), losing both series to the Boston Celtics
- Finished his NBA coaching career with an overall record of 287-316 (.476) and a playoffs record of 21-12 (.636)
- Later spent two seasons as the head coach of the New Orleans Pride, a professional women’s basketball team
- Rejoined the college ranks as the head coach at the University of New Orleans in 1977; later had second stints as the head coach at both Lafayette and Hofstra before retiring in 1994
- Passed away in August 2007, survived by his wife, son, three daughters and several grandchildren
- His son, Jan van Breda Kolff, was a longtime professional basketball player and collegiate head coach
Butch van Breda Kolff Coaching Tree
- Henry Bibby (USC)
- Pete Carril (Princeton, Lehigh)
- Larry Finch (Memphis)
^ overall and Hofstra records include time at both the NCAA Division I and Division II levels; professional records not included in overall tally