Ned Wulk

Ned Wulk (1920-2003)

Teams coached: Xavier Musketeers, Arizona State Sun Devils
Xavier record: 89-70 (.560)
Arizona State record: 406-272 (.599)
Overall record: 495-342 (.591)

Career Accomplishments:

  • NCAA National Championships:  0
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances:  9  (1958, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1973, 1975, 1980, 1981)
  • NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  4  (1961, 1963, 1973, 1975)
  • NCAA Tournament Final Four:  0
  • NIT Championships:  0
  • NIT Appearances:  2  (1956, 1957)
  • NCIT Appearances:  1  (1974)
  • WAC Regular Season Champion:  4  (1963, 1964, 1973, 1975)
  • Border Regular Season Champion:  4  (1958, 1959, 1961, 1962)

Awards:

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1957-1982 Arizona State
1951-1957 Xavier
1948-1951 Xavier (asst)

Ned Wulk Facts

  • Ned W. Wulk
  • Born August 14, 1920
  • Died November 15, 2003
  • Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
  • Alma Mater: La Crosse State Teachers College (BA, 1942)
  • Played basketball, baseball and football at La Crosse State (now UW-La Crosse) in his home state of Wisconsin
  • During World War II, Wulk served in the US Army; reached the rank of captain and earned a Purple Heart
  • Hired in 1948 at Xavier to be a football assistant coach, basketball assistant coach and head baseball coach
    • Promoted to head basketball coach in 1951 after three seasons as an assistant under previous head coach Lew Hirt
    • Won 89 games in six seasons as head coach, leading the team to two NIT appearances but was ultimately fired following the 1956-57 season
  • Hired as the head coach at Arizona State in 1957, leading the Sun Devils program for the next 25 seasons
    • Went to the NCAA Tournament nine times, including three trips to the Elite Eight
    • Won 406 games, four Border (BIAA) titles and four WAC titles during his tenure
    • Fired after the 1981-82 season, the program’s fourth as a member of the Pac-10, and began an administrative role the following season
    • Inducted into the Arizona State Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Pac-12 Hall of Fame in 2003
    • The floor at the (now) Wells Fargo Arena on the ASU campus was named Ned Wulk Court in his honor in 1999
  • Had one son and one daughter

Ned Wulk Coaching Tree

  • Don Ruberg (Xavier)
  • Byron Scott (LA Lakers, Cleveland Cavaliers, New Orleans Hornets, NJ Nets)