Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun is stepping down as head coach of Division III Saint Joseph, effective immediately, and retiring — for the second time.
Calhoun, 79, who coached Connecticut to three national championships before retiring the first time in 2012, leaves Saint Joseph with a 47-17 record.
“It’s just the right time,” Calhoun said in an announcement. “I’m healthy, my wife (Pat) is healthy, and the USJ men’s basketball program is healthy. We built this program starting from scratch about five years ago, and now the team is in a good place. We’ve got a great new facility and accomplished a lot on the court the past few seasons. I plan to be involved with the University, but there are a lot of things that I would like to do, and it’s time to spend more time with my wife and family.”
Calhoun became the head coach at the university, located in West Hartford, Conn., in 2018, building a program from scratch. He first signed on as a consultant in 2017.
Glen Miller, an assistant to Calhoun at UConn, was named acting head coach by the university.
“Coach Calhoun has stayed longer and done more for USJ than I could ever have hoped when we first talked to him about launching our men’s basketball team and with it, the transition to coeducation almost five years ago,” said Dr. Rhona Free, President of Saint Joseph, in a statement.
Calhoun recorded his 900th career victory at Saint Joseph in January 2020. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005.
Calhoun amassed 873 career wins in his 40 years of coaching between Northeastern (1972-86) and Connecticut (1986-2012). He led the Huskies to three titles (1999, 2004, 2011) and NCAA Tournament berths in all but eight of his 26 seasons at the helm of the program.
–Field Level Media
