Lou Campanelli (born August 10, 1938)

Teams coached: James Madison Dukes, California Golden Bears
James Madison record: 238-118 (.669)
California record: 123-108 (.532)
Overall record: 361-226 (.615)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  0
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  4  (1981, 1982, 1983, 1990)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  0
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  3  (1986, 1987, 1989)
• CAA Tournament Champion:  1  (1983)
• NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances:  2  (1974, 1976)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1985-1993	California
1972-1985	James Madison
196#-1972	Rhode Island (asst)
196#-196#	Bridgeport (asst)

Lou Campanelli Facts

• Louis Campanelli
• Born August 10, 1938
• Hometown: Springfield, New Jersey
• Alma Mater: Montclair State University (BA, 1960)
• The NJ-native graduated from Montclair State (NJ) before starting his coaching career at Levittown HS on Long Island
• Worked as an assistant at D-II Bridgeport (CT) and under Tom Carmody at Rhode Island
• Spent 13 seasons as the head coach at James Madison, starting in Division II and transitioning to D-I in 1976
  • When Campanelli was hired, the program was still in its infancy, as Madison had been an all-girls school previously
  • Went to two D-II NCAA Tournaments, three D-I NCAA Tournaments and won the 1983 ECAC South (CAA) Tournament
  • Compiled an overall record of 238-118 (165-87 in D-I) and never finished a season below .500
• Left for California in 1985, coaching the Golden Bears for the next eight years
  • Was 123-108 overall, going to one NCAA Tournament (1990) and three NITs (1986, 1987 and 1989)
  • Fired in February 1993 at 10-7; the Bears went on to reach the Sweet Sixteen under Todd Bozeman
    • The school cited player complaints of verbally abusive behavior as reason to let Campanelli go
• Other jobs in basketball have included scouting stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets in the NBA
  • He worked for several years as commissioner of Pac-10 officiating and briefly coached in the Japan Pro League
• Wrote a memoir titled Dare to Dream: How James Madison University Became Coed and Shocked the Basketball World (2015)

Lou Campanelli Coaching Tree

• Todd Bozeman (Morgan State, California)
• Gary Colson (Fresno State)
• Sherman Dillard (James Madison, Indiana State)
• Mike Fratello (Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks)
• Jerod Haase (Stanford, UAB)
• Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks, Milwaukee Bucks, Brooklyn Nets)
• Ernie Nestor (Elon, George Mason)
• Jeff Reynolds (Air Force, Wingate, North Carolina Wesleyan)
• John Thurston (St. Francis Brooklyn (w), Northwood (w), Wingate, James Madison)
• Jeff Wulbrun (Denver)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at both the NCAA Division I and Division II levels; prior to the 1976-77 season, the James Madison Dukes competed at the Division II level