Retired Hall of Fame basketball coach Bob Huggins has a “progressive cognitive condition" that has started to impact his memory "and aspects of his daily life,” his family said.
Huggins’ family released a statement on his health in coordination with the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department ahead of the 73-year-old's induction into the school's Athletics Hall of Fame.
The family kept the matter private over the past several months but believes
now is “an appropriate time to share the news with the many people who have supported Bob throughout his remarkable career,” the statement said.
Cincinnati’s Hall of Fame induction is Friday night. Others inductees include Jason Kelce and former Philadelphia Eagles’ teammate Connor Barwin. The statement said Huggins was “looking forward to returning to Cincinnati this weekend, celebrating with former players and friends, and sharing in a moment that recognizes not only his accomplishments, but also the enduring bonds formed along the way.”
“Although Bob and his family recognize the challenges that lie ahead, they remain focused on the relationships, experiences, and moments that bring him joy,” the statement said.
Huggins compiled a 935-414 head coaching record at five colleges that included 16-year stints each at Cincinnati and West Virginia, where he took both schools to the Final Four.
Former Huggins pupil Jerrod Calhoun was named Cincinnati’s coach in March. Calhoun graduated from Cincinnati in 2004 and was a student assistant under Huggins during the 2003-04 season. He also spent five seasons on Huggins’ staff at West Virginia from 2007-12.
Huggins' teams were NCAA Tournament staples, and included all-Americans Danny Fortson and Steve Logan and 2000 AP national Player of the Year Kenyon Martin for the Bearcats. Cincinnati reached the Final Four under Huggins in 1992 before losing to Michigan in the national semifinals.
At West Virginia, Huggins landed few high-profile recruits. The 2010 West Virginia team won the Big East tournament and defeated top-seeded Kentucky along its ride to the national semifinals before losing to Duke.
Huggins was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2022.
Eight months later during an appearance on a Cincinnati radio station, Huggins used a homophobic slur to refer to Xavier fans while also denigrating Catholics. Under an agreement with West Virginia after the remarks, Huggins was suspended for three games at the start of the 2023-24 season, took a $1 million salary reduction and was required to undergo sensitivity training.
Then, in June 2023, Huggins was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving in Pittsburgh. He resigned the next day and issued his second public apology in a month.
It was his second drunken driving arrest. The other occurred in 2004 while he was at Cincinnati and led to his firing in 2005 in a power struggle with the school’s president. After spending one season at Kansas State, Huggins took his dream job at West Virginia in 2007. He was born in Morgantown, West Virginia, grew up in Ohio where his father molded three state high school champion teams, and was a three-year letter winner in basketball at West Virginia.
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