Johnny Dawkins

Johnny Dawkins (born September 28, 1963)

Current position: Head men’s basketball coach
Current team: UCF Knights
Current conference: Big 12 Conference
Stanford record: 156-115 (.576)
UCF record: 148-103 (.590)
Overall record: 304-218 (.582)

Career Accomplishments:

Career Accomplishments:

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

2016-present UCF
2008-2016 Stanford
1999-2008 Duke (assoc. HC)
1998-1999 Duke (asst)

Johnny Dawkins Facts

  • Johnny Earl Dawkins, Jr.
  • Born September 28, 1963
  • Hometown: Washington, DC
  • Alma Mater: Duke University (BS, 1986)
  • Played for, then spent ten seasons as an assistant to legendary head coach  at Duke
  • Was a star player at Duke under head coach Mike Krzyzewski, twice earning All-ACC and AP All-American First Team honors
    • Named Naismith POY in 1986; the Blue Devils finished as National Runner-Up that season, losing the title to Louisville
    • Dawkins’ number #24 was retired and he was named to the ACC 50th Anniversary basketball team in 2003
  • Drafted 10th overall in the 1986 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs, kicking off a nine-year professional career
    • Played three seasons with the Spurs, five with the Philadelphia 76ers and then one final season with the Detroit Pistons
    • Head coaches he played for include Bob Weiss, Larry Brown, Jim Lynam, Doug Moe, Fred Carter and Don Chaney
  • Returned to Duke in 1996 after leaving the NBA, working as an intern and broadcaster before joining the coaching staff in 1998
    • Spent one year as an assistant for Coach K before becoming associate head coach, a position he held for nine seasons
    • During his twelve years with the program, Duke went to twelve NCAA Tournaments, three Final Fours and won the NCAA National Championship in 2001
  • Left Duke in 2008 to become the head coach at Stanford, his first head coaching opportunity
    • Won 156 games in eight seasons, winning two NIT titles (2012, 2015) and earning a trip to the 2014 Sweet Sixteen
    • Fired in March 2016 following a 15-15 (8-10) season; went to the postseason five times in eight years
  • Hired about a week later to become the head coach at UCF in Orlando
    • Led the Knights to 24 wins in his first season, culminating in a trip to the NIT Semifinals at Madison Square Garden
    • Two years later, earned an at-large bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament and got the program’s first ever NCAAT victory

Johnny Dawkins Coaching Tree