It is the end of an era at Syracuse.
Jim Boeheim is no longer the men’s basketball head coach after 47 seasons at the helm, the team announced on Wednesday.
Boeheim, 78, will be replaced by associate head coach and former Syracuse player Adrian Autry.
There was much speculation and some confusion on Wednesday as to whether or not Boeheim was ready to retire following an ACC tournament loss to Wake Forest, ending the Orange’s season.
Boeheim said he gave his “retirement speech” last week, but when asked if he was retiring on Wednesday, he said, “this is up to the university” in what was an odd exchange with a reporter.
Hours later, the university sent out a press release announcing the end of his tenure, although it did not use the words “retirement,” nor did it have a statement from Boeheim.
If this is indeed the end of Boeheim’s coaching career, he finishes as the second-winningest coach in NCAA history with 1,015 wins (101 were vacated due to rules violations), trailing only former Duke head coach Mike Kryzyzewski, who finished at 1,202 when he retired last year.
Boeheim, a four-time Big East Coach of the Year, led Syracuse to the NCAA Tournament 35 times in his 47-year tenure, including five Final Four appearances and a national championship in 2003.
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2005 and College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today,” Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud said in a statement. “Jim ahs invested and dedicated the majority of his life to building this program, cultivating generations of student-athletes and representing his alma mater with pride and distinction. I extend my deep appreciation and gratitude to an alumnus who epitomizes what it means to be ‘Forever Orange.’”
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