John Calipari facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

"Calipari" redirects here. For the surname, including a list of people with the name, see Calipari (surname).

Quick facts for kids
John Calipari

Calipari in November 2014

Current position

Title

Head coach

Team

Arkansas

Conference

SEC

Record

11–7 (.611)

Biographical details

Born

February 10, 1959 (age 66)
Moon Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Playing career

1978–1980

UNC Wilmington

1980–1982

Clarion

Position(s)

Point guard

Coaching career (HC unless noted)

1982–1985

Kansas (associate assistant)

1985–1988

Pittsburgh (assistant)

1988–1996

UMass

1996–1999

New Jersey Nets

1999–2000

Philadelphia 76ers (assistant)

2000–2009

Memphis

2009–2024

Kentucky

2024–present

Arkansas

Head coaching record

Overall

866–270 (.762) (college)
72–112 (.391) (NBA)

Tournaments

57–22* (NCAA tournament)
15–6 (NIT)

Accomplishments and honors

Championships

NCAA Division I Tournament Champion (2012)
6× NCAA Regional Champion – Final Four (1996*, 2008*, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
6× SEC tournament champion (2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018)
6× SEC regular season champion (2010, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020)
4× C-USA tournament champion (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
5× C-USA regular season champion (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)
NIT Champion (2002)
5× A10 tournament (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
5× A10 regular season (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)

* Vacated by the NCAA

Awards

3× Naismith College Coach of the Year (1996, 2008, 2015)
AP College Coach of the Year (2015)
3× NABC Coach of the Year (1996, 2009, 2015)
2× Basketball Times Coach of the Year (1996, 2015)
2× Adolph Rupp Cup (2010, 2015)
Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year (2009)
4× SEC Coach of the Year (2010, 2012, 2015, 2020)
3× C-USA Coach of the Year (2006, 2008, 2009)
3× A10 Coach of the Year (1993, 1994, 1996)

Basketball Hall of Fame
Inducted in 2015 (profile)

Medal record

Head Coach for Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic national team
FIBA Americas Championship
Bronze	2011 Mar del Plata	Men's basketball
Centrobasket
Gold	2012 Puerto Rico	Men's basketball
Marchand Cup
Bronze	2011 Marchand Cup	Men's basketball
Head Coach for United States
United States men's national under-19 basketball team
FIBA Under-19 World Cup
Bronze	2017 Egypt	National team

John Vincent Calipari (born February 10, 1959) is a famous American basketball coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Arkansas. Before that, he coached the University of Kentucky from 2009 to 2024. He led Kentucky to an NCAA National Championship in 2012.

Calipari has won the Naismith College Coach of the Year award three times. He was also added to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. He has coached many college teams, including the University of Massachusetts and the University of Memphis. He also coached the NBA's New Jersey Nets. Calipari has also coached national teams for the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Under-19 team.

He led Kentucky to the Final Four four times. He also led UMass and Memphis to the Final Four. Some of these appearances were later vacated (removed from official records) by the NCAA. However, Calipari himself was found to have done nothing wrong. As a college coach, Calipari's teams have won 20 or more games many times. They have also won 30 or more games several times.

Playing Career: John Calipari's Start in Basketball
Coaching Journey: From Assistant to Head Coach
Career Statistics
Awards and Honors
Books and Documentaries
Personal Life
See also

Playing Career: John Calipari's Start in Basketball

John Calipari, 1979–1980 UNCW basketball team

John Calipari played college basketball for two years at UNC Wilmington. He then moved to Clarion University of Pennsylvania. He played as a point guard for Clarion in 1981 and 1982. He was known for leading his team in assists and free throw percentage. He earned a degree in marketing from Clarion.

Coaching Journey: From Assistant to Head Coach

Calipari started his coaching career as an assistant. From 1982 to 1985, he was an assistant at the University of Kansas. He worked under coaches Ted Owens and Larry Brown. He even helped serve food to players early in his career. He was grateful for the chance to be around a big program like Kansas.

From 1985 to 1988, he was an assistant coach at the University of Pittsburgh. He then became a head coach.

UMass Minutemen: Building a Strong Program

From 1988 to 1996, Calipari was the head coach at the University of Massachusetts. He led the Minutemen to five straight Atlantic 10 titles. His teams also made it to the NCAA Tournament every year. During this time, UMass was even ranked #1 nationally.

He had a great record of 193 wins and 71 losses at UMass. He was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year multiple times. In 1996, he won several national Coach of the Year awards. He led UMass to its first-ever Final Four appearance. This was thanks to star player Marcus Camby. However, this Final Four appearance was later vacated by the NCAA. This happened because Camby had received gifts, which was against NCAA rules.

Calipari helped build the Mullins Center, UMass's basketball arena. He also helped grow the team's fan base. By the time he left for the NBA, he was the second-winningest coach in UMass history.

NBA Coaching: New Jersey Nets and Philadelphia 76ers

In 1996, John Calipari became the head coach of the New Jersey Nets in the NBA. In his first season, the team won 26 games. The Nets then made a big trade to get player Keith Van Horn.

The 1997–98 season was a good one for the Nets. They won 43 games and made it to the playoffs. They lost to the Chicago Bulls in the first round. The next season, the NBA season was shorter due to a lockout. The Nets started poorly, and Calipari was fired after 20 games. He then became an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers under Larry Brown.

Memphis Tigers: Popularizing the Dribble Drive

Calipari directing his players during an away game against Conference USA rival University of Houston in January 2007.

Calipari became the head coach at the University of Memphis in 2000. In his nine years there, he won many games. His teams had seven straight seasons with 20 or more wins. They also had four straight seasons with 30 or more wins, which was an NCAA record at the time.

His 2007–2008 Memphis team won 38 games. This set a new NCAA record for most wins in a season. This record was later broken by his Kentucky team. Memphis also reached the No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll in 2008. Calipari was named Conference USA Coach of the Year multiple times. He also won the Naismith College Coach of the Year award again in 2008.

He was known for bringing in top young players. He also made the "dribble drive motion" offense very popular. This offense was developed by Vance Walberg.

In 2008, Calipari's Tigers made it to the national championship game. They lost to the Kansas Jayhawks in overtime. However, the NCAA later vacated (removed) all of Memphis's wins from that season. This was due to an issue with player Derrick Rose's SAT score. Even though the NCAA said Rose was ineligible, they found no proof he cheated. Calipari also donated his bonus to a scholarship fund as part of a settlement.

Kentucky Wildcats: A Dream Job and a National Title

Calipari on the bench for the Kentucky Wildcats, 2009

On March 30, 2009, John Calipari became the head coach at the University of Kentucky. He called it his "dream job." He signed a long contract worth millions of dollars. He became the 22nd coach for the Wildcats.

Early Success and a National Championship

In his first year (2009–10), Calipari brought in a top group of new players. This included future NBA stars like John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Kentucky won the SEC Regular Season Championship and the SEC Tournament. They made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

In his second season (2010–11), Kentucky reached the Final Four. They lost a close game to UConn.

The 2011–12 season was a huge success. Kentucky had another top group of players, including Anthony Davis. They finished the regular season with only one loss. They won the SEC Tournament. In the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky was the overall #1 seed. They beat Louisville in the Final Four. Then, they won the National Championship game against Kansas, 67–59. This was Calipari's first NCAA Championship. It was also Kentucky's 8th overall title. This team set an NCAA record with 38 wins.

Tom Izzo and Calipari, two of the highest paid college coaches in 2012, talk while scouting a blue chip recruit

After winning the championship, Calipari's contract was updated. He became one of the highest-paid college basketball coaches. In 2019, he agreed to a "lifetime" contract with Kentucky. This included a 10-year coaching extension.

Later Years and Departure

Calipari continued to lead Kentucky. His teams often brought in top high school players. They were known for strong defense and shot-blocking. From 2002 to 2018, all 25 players he coached who left for the NBA after their first season were drafted in the first round.

On April 9, 2024, Calipari announced he would be leaving Kentucky.

Arkansas Razorbacks: A New Chapter

On April 10, 2024, Calipari was named the head coach at Arkansas. He signed a 5-year deal worth $7 million per season. The deal also includes bonuses for staying and for how well the team does in the NCAA Tournament.

Career Statistics

College Playing Stats

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1978–79	UNC Wilmington	25	N/A	N/A	.235	N/A	.840	0.3	0.9	0.0	0.0	1.2
1980–81	Clarion	19	N/A	N/A	.457	N/A	.615	0.9	2.6	0.9	0.0	3.1
1981–82	Clarion	27	N/A	N/A	.387	N/A	.717	1.0	5.3	1.3	0.1	5.3

Head Coaching Record: College

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
UMass Minutemen (Atlantic 10 Conference) (1988–1996)
1988–89	UMass	10–18	5–13	8th
1989–90	UMass	17–14	10–8	6th	NIT First Round
1990–91	UMass	20–13	10–8	T–3rd	NIT Fourth Place
1991–92	UMass	30–5	13–3	1st	NCAA Division I Sweet 16
1992–93	UMass	24–7	11–3	1st	NCAA Division I Round of 32
1993–94	UMass	28–7	14–2	1st	NCAA Division I Round of 32
1994–95	UMass	29–5	13–3	1st	NCAA Division I Elite Eight
1995–96	UMass	35–2*	15–1	1st	NCAA Division I Final Four*
UMass:		189–70 (.730)*	91–41 (.689)
Memphis Tigers (Conference USA) (2000–2009)
2000–01	Memphis	21–15	10–6	2nd (National)	NIT Third Place
2001–02	Memphis	27–9	12–4	1st (National)	NIT Champion
2002–03	Memphis	23–7	13–3	1st (National)	NCAA Division I Round of 64
2003–04	Memphis	22–8	12–4	T–1st	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2004–05	Memphis	22–16	9–7	T–6th	NIT Semifinal
2005–06	Memphis	33–4	13–1	1st	NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2006–07	Memphis	33–4	16–0	1st	NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2007–08	Memphis	38–2	16–0	1st	NCAA Division I Runner-up
2008–09	Memphis	33–4	16–0	1st	NCAA Division I Sweet 16
Memphis:		214–68 (.759)	101–25 (.802)
Kentucky Wildcats (Southeastern Conference) (2009–present)
2009–10	Kentucky	35–3	14–2	1st (East)	NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2010–11	Kentucky	29–9	10–6	2nd (East)	NCAA Division I Final Four
2011–12	Kentucky	38–2	16–0	1st	NCAA Division I Champion
2012–13	Kentucky	21–12	12–6	T–2nd	NIT First Round
2013–14	Kentucky	29–11	12–6	T–2nd	NCAA Division I Runner-up
2014–15	Kentucky	38–1	18–0	1st	NCAA Division I Final Four
2015–16	Kentucky	27–9	13–5	T–1st	NCAA Division I Round of 32
2016–17	Kentucky	32–6	16–2	1st	NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2017–18	Kentucky	26–11	10–8	T–4th	NCAA Division I Sweet 16
2018–19	Kentucky	30–7	15–3	T–2nd	NCAA Division I Elite Eight
2019–20	Kentucky	25–6	15–3	1st	NCAA Division I Canceled***
2020–21	Kentucky	9–16	8–9	8th
2021–22	Kentucky	26–8	14–4	T–2nd	NCAA Division I Round of 64
2022–23	Kentucky	2–0	0–0
Kentucky:		367–101 (.784)	173–54 (.762)
Total:		770–239 (.763)*
National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Conference division champion

* ^^a ^b ^c UMass had its 4–1 record in the 1996 NCAA tournament and Final Four standing vacated after Marcus Camby was ruled ineligible due to his contact with a sports agent.

** ^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f The NCAA vacated 38 wins and 1 loss from Memphis's 2007–08 season under Calipari due to violations of NCAA rules.

*** ^ Under current NCAA official records, Calipari's record as of March 7, 2020 is 733–215 (.773), which accounts for the 4 vacated wins (and one vacated loss) in the 1995–96 NCAA Tournament at UMass, and the 38 vacated wins (and 1 vacated losses) at Memphis in the entire 2007–08 season.

Calipari's actual on-the-court record without vacated games is 812–241 (.771) ****The 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

Head Coaching Record: NBA

Legend
Regular season	G	Games coached	W	Games won	L	Games lost	W–L %	Win–loss %
Playoffs	PG	Playoff games	PW	Playoff wins	PL	Playoff losses	PW–L %	Playoff win–loss %

Team	Year	G	W	L	W–L%	Finish	PG	PW	PL	PW–L%	Result
New Jersey	1996–97	82	26	56	.317	5th in Atlantic	—	—	—	—	Missed Playoffs
New Jersey	1997–98	82	43	39	.524	3rd in Atlantic	3	0	3	.000	Lost in first round
New Jersey	1998–99	20	3	17	.150	7th in Atlantic	—	—	—	—	Fired
Career		184	72	112	.391		3	0	3	.000

Awards and Honors

Calipari was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2015, he was added to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He is one of only a few active coaches in the Hall of Fame.

In 2021, the main basketball court at Clarion University was named the John V. Calipari Court. It is also known as "Coach Cal Court."

Books and Documentaries

John Calipari has written several books. These include Bounce Back (2009) and Players First (2014). He also appeared in an ESPN documentary called "One and Not Done." This film talks about his coaching career.

Personal Life

Calipari has dual citizenship in the U.S. and Italy. He has been married since 1986 and has three children. His daughter Erin played basketball at UMass. His son Brad played basketball at Kentucky. His second cousin, TJ Friedl, is a baseball player.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Calipari publicly supported a mask mandate in Kentucky. He encouraged people to be strong and continue fighting the virus.