Homer Drew (born September 29, 1944)
Teams coached: Bethel Pilots, IU-South Bend Titans, Valparaiso Crusaders
Valparaiso record: 371-305 (.549)
Overall record^: 640-428 (.599)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 7 (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (1998)
- NCAA Tournament Final Four: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 0
- CBI Appearances: 1 (2008)
- CIT Appearances: 1 (2011)
- Summit League Regular Season Champion: 8 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004)
- Summit League Tournament Champion: 8 (1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004)
Awards:
- Summit League Coach of the Year: 4 (1994, 1995, 1996, 2002)
- NABC Golden Anniversary Award (2018)
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (inducted 2019)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 2003-2011 | Valparaiso |
| 1988-2002 | Valparaiso |
| 1987-1988 | Indiana-South Bend |
| 1976-1987 | Bethel College |
| 1972-1976 | LSU (asst) |
| 1971-1972 | Washington State (asst) |
Homer Drew Facts
- Dr. Homer Walter Drew, Jr.
- Born September 29, 1944
- Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
- Alma Mater: William Jewell College (BA, 1966) / Washington University in St. Louis (MA, 1968) / Andrews University (PhD, 1983)
- St. Louis native played basketball at Webster Groves HS and then at Division II William Jewell College in Liberty, MO
- Inducted into both the Webster Groves HS and William Jewell College Halls of Fame
- Joined Bob Greenwood’s staff at Washington State in 1971 and a year later moved on to LSU where he spent four seasons as an assistant to HOF head coach Dale Brown
- Spent eleven seasons as head coach at NAIA Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN, amassing a 252-110 overall record during that time
- After one year as head coach at NAIA Indiana-South Bend (17-12 overall), Drew was hired as the head coach at Valparaiso
- Coached at Valparaiso for 22 seasons, winning 371 games and leading the Crusaders to seven NCAA Tournaments and numerous conference regular season and tournament titles
- One particularly memorable moment came during the 1998 NCAA Tournament, when Drew’s son – Bryce Drew – made a buzzer-beater to upset #4 Ole Miss in the first round; the Crusaders went on to beat #12 Florida State two days later to advance to the Sweet Sixteen
- Initially retired from coaching in 2002, turning the program over to assistant coach and oldest son, Scott Drew
- Scott left for Baylor after one season, so the elder Drew came out of retirement and coached the team for another eight years
- Retired from coaching for good in 2011, this time turning the program over to younger son, Bryce
- The floor at Valparaiso’s Athletics-Recreation Center was officially dedicated as Homer Drew Court in 2010
- Became the Associate AD at Valpo in 2011, a position he held until fully retiring in 2015
- Along with his wife, Janet, has two sons (Scott and Bryce) and one daughter
Homer Drew Coaching Tree
- Bryce Drew (Vanderbilt, Valparaiso)
- Scott Drew (Baylor, Valparaiso)
- Rex Walters (San Francisco, Florida Atlantic)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels
