DAVIDSON, N.C. – On Feb. 11, following the men’s basketball contest against Fordham, Davidson College and the Department of Athletics will hold an on-court ceremony to celebrate the retirement and career of former long-time head coach Bob McKillop.
McKillop, who led Davidson to 23 conference championships (15 – regular season, 8 – tournament), 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and over 600 wins, announced his retirement on June 17, 2022 after 33 seasons at the helm of the Wildcats.
A Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame nominee, McKillop, 72, is the most successful coach in school and league history and concluded his illustrious career ranked 54th on the NCAA Division I wins list with 634 victories.
During the 2021-22 campaign, McKillop led the Wildcats to their second-most wins in a single season, going 27-7 overall, which included a program-best 15-3 mark in Atlantic 10 play. In addition to earning his 11th (9 – SoCon, 2 – A-10) Conference Coach of the Year honor, McKillop’s final campaign was capped by the school’s second NCAA Tournament at-large bid.
In all, McKillop-coached teams reached postseason play 19 times — the NCAA Tournament in 1998, 2002, 2006-08, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2022; and the NIT in 1994, 1996, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2019 and 2021; and the CBI in 2011.
The 2007-08 NABC National Coach of the Year led Davidson to the 2008 NCAA Tournament Midwest Regional Championship game with victories over three nationally-ranked foes — Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin. The Wildcats’ unbelievable run ended with a two-point loss to eventual champion Kansas, and Davidson finished the campaign with a final ranking of ninth in the ESPN/USA Today Poll.
Along with tying the school’s single-season record for wins with 29, McKillop and the ‘Cats strung together 25 consecutive victories, the longest streak in the nation, before falling to the Jayhawks on the doorstep of the Final Four.
The Wildcats hit the 20-win plateau 17 times under McKillop’s leadership, while seven teams won 25 games or more.
Although no longer coaching, McKillop currently serves as Davidson first-ever “Leader-in-Residence.”
THE MCKILLOP FILE
Coaching Honors
· Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Nominee
· 2008 NABC National Coach of the Year
· 2008 Coach Clair Bee Award
· 11-Time Conference Coach of the Year
· 2007 & 2008 Hugh Durham Award Finalist
· New York City Basketball Hall of Fame
· 2017 Joe Lapchick Character Award Recipient
· 2022 Naismith Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
Coaching Record
Overall Record: 634-380 (33 seasons)
Record at Davidson: Same
Conference Record: 381-148
vs. Big South: 12-14 | vs. Southern Conference: 278-88 | vs. Atlantic 10 Conference: 91-46
Conference Tournament Record: 44-21
Postseason Record: 7-19
NCAA Tournament: 3-10 | NIT: 3-8 | CBI: 1-1
Postseason Resume
Postseason Appearances: 19
NCAA Tournament: 10 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2022)
NIT: 8 (1994, 1996, 2005, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2021)
CBI: 1 (2011)
Conference Resume
Conference Regular-Season Titles: 15
Southern Conference: 13 (1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014)
Atlantic 10 Conference: 2 (2015, 2022)
Conference Tournament Titles: 8 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2018)
Southern Conference: 7 (1998, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013)
Atlantic 10 Conference: 1 (2018)
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