The college basketball world is in mourning today following the passing of one of its all-time greats.
On Monday, former Princeton basketball coach Pete Carril passed away. He was 92 years old.
Carril joined the Tigers in 1967 after coaching one season at Lehigh. He instantly found success, leading Princeton to back-to-back Ivy League titles while going 39-13.
In 1975, Carril led the Tigers to one of their best seasons ever, going 22-8 en route to winning the NIT Champion. He would lead the Tigers to the NIT tournament five more times, but took Princeton to the NCAA Tournament a lot more often.
Between the start of the NCAA Tournament seeding era in 1981 and Pete Carril’s final season in 1996, Princeton made the NCAA Tournament eight times.
Wins were harder to come by for the Tigers as they were eliminated in the First Round six times. Their marquee NCAA Tournament wins came in 1983 when they knocked off No. 5 Oklahoma State as a 12 seed and in 1996 – Carril’s final year – when they beat No. 4 UCLA as a 13 seed. His final record was 525-273.
After retiring from college coaching, Carril spent another 10 years as an assistant coach on the Sacramento Kings.
Carril has since been enshrined in both the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Our hearts go out to Coach Carril’s family and loved ones.