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Embattled West Virginia head basketball coach Bob Huggins has stepped down just hours after he was arrested for alleged drunken driving.
The arrest is the latest incident the long time West Virginia coach has been involved in over the past several months. Just last month, Huggins was suspended for three games after he used a homophobic slur during a radio interview. He sparked further controversy when he shared his thoughts on Catholicism during the same interview.
The university confirmed Huggins’ departure late Saturday night.
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West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins watches the run of play during the Big12 Tournament game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the West Virginia Mountaineers on Thursday March 9, 2023 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, MO. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The 69-year-old Huggins currently sits in third place on the all-time Division I coaches winning list. His 935 career victories only trail legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski and longtime Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. Krzyzewski retired with 1,202 wins, while Boeheim stepped away from coaching with 998 victories to his credit.
However, Huggins never won a national title. He did lead Cincinnati to the Final Four in 1992 and West Virginia in 2010.
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Huggins had 16-year stints each with the Bearcats and the Mountaineers. Both ended in the aftermath of arrests for drinking and driving.
Huggins was charged with driving under the influence on Friday night after his SUV had stopped in the middle of traffic in Pittsburgh with a shredded tire and the driver’s side door was open at about 8:30 p.m. According to a criminal complaint, a breath test determined Huggins’ blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit.
He was later released from custody and will have to make an appearance for a preliminary hearing, according to a police report.
In a statement to the West Virginia community on Saturday night, Huggins said: “Today, I have submitted a letter to President Gordon Gee and Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker informing them of my resignation and intention to retire as head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University effective immediately.”
In a separate statement Saturday night, West Virginia’s athletic department said it accepted the resignation “in light of recent events.
“We support his decision so that he can focus on his health and family. On behalf of West Virginia University, we share our appreciation for his service to our University, our community and our state.”
No replacement was immediately named for Huggins. The athletic department statement said that “in the days ahead, we will focus on supporting the student-athletes in our men’s basketball program and solidifying leadership for our program.”
Huggins said his recent actions do not represent the university’s values or the leadership expected in his role as coach.
“While I have always tried to represent our University with honor, I have let all of you — and myself — down,” he said. “I am solely responsible for my conduct and sincerely apologize to the University community — particularly to the student-athletes, coaches and staff in our program. I must do better, and I plan to spend the next few months focused on my health and my family so that I can be the person they deserve.”
Head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers talks to Kedrian Johnson #0 in the second half during the game with the Texas Longhorns at the Moody Center on February 11, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Chris Covatta/Getty Images)
Huggins added that it was “the honor of my professional career” to lead the team at his alma mater. Born in Morgantown, he said it “will always be my home, and I will always be a Mountaineer. Thank you to everyone who has supported our program over the years. It has meant more to me and my family than you could ever know.”
In June 2004, Huggins pleaded no contest to driving under the influence in a suburb of Cincinnati and was ordered to attend a three-day intervention program. The University of Cincinnati, where Huggins served as the head coach at the time, suspended him indefinitely with pay and told Huggins to rehabilitate himself.
Huggins was allowed to return to work two months later, saying that “I made a terrible mistake, and what bothers me most is I hurt other people. All I can do is work like crazy to be a better person, a better coach, be better at everything I do and make those people proud of me.”
By 2005, Huggins’ Cincinnati career was over; he was fired amid a power struggle with the school’s president as well as the aftermath of the 2004 arrest.
Head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Legacy Arena at the BJCC on March 16, 2023 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
After spending one season at Kansas State, Huggins took his dream job at West Virginia, his alma mater, in 2007.
Last month, Huggins agreed to a three-game suspension, a $1 million salary reduction and sensitivity training for using the slur during an interview with Cincinnati radio station WLW. Huggins was asked about the transfer portal and whether he had a chance of landing a player at West Virginia from Xavier, a Jesuit school.
“Catholics don’t do that,” Huggins said. “I tell you what, any school that can throw rubber penises on the floor and then say they didn’t do it, by God they can get away with anything.
“It was the Crosstown Shootout. What it was, was all those (expletive), those Catholic (expletive), I think.””
Head coach Bob Huggins of the West Virginia Mountaineers reacts from the bench during the Big 12 Tournament game against the Kansas Jayhawks at T-Mobile Center on March 09, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Huggins’ salary of $4.15 million had been reduced by $1 million after the slur. That reduction was to be used to directly support WVU’s LGBTQ+ Center, as well as a mental health center at the university and other groups that support marginalized communities.
At the time, he was suspended for the first three games of the 2023-24 season. In addition, his contract was amended from a multiyear agreement to a year-by-year agreement that began on May 10.
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Huggins entered the Basketball Hall of Fame last September. In 41 seasons, his teams have gone to 25 NCAA Tournaments, finished ranked in the top 10 of The Associated Press poll seven times and finished under .500 five times. The Mountaineers have 11 NCAA Tournament appearances under Huggins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
