Charles “Lefty” Driesell – the brash coach with a tidewater drawl who is credited with putting the Maryland Terrapins on the men’s college basketball map after promising to make them the “UCLA of the east” – died on Saturday at his home in Virginia Beach at the age of 92, his family announced.
Driesell won 786 games in his career, with 348 of those coming as the head coach of the Terps. In different stints, he also coached at Davidson, James Madison and Georgia State. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
One of the signature personalities in the ACC in the 1970s and 80s, Lefty could be fiery, funny, charming and sharp. Before his arrival in College Park, Maryland, the Terps had only been to the NCAA Tournament once. After coaching them to an NIT title in 1972, Lefty led the Terps to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, including two trips to the Elite Eight. Maryland won two regular season ACC titles under his watch and an ACC Tournament in 1984.
The two-time ACC Coach of the Year was forced out of Maryland and shouldered much of the blame for the shocking death of Len Bias in 1986 after the All-American and No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft died from a cocaine overdose.
Two years later, Lefty returned to coaching and built James Madison into a mid-major power, leading the Dukes to five regular season CAA titles. He became the coach at Georgia State in 1997 and won four regular season ASUN titles. In all, Driesell coached four different programs to NCAA Tournament appearances.
Driesell is also credited with starting “Midnight Madness” at Maryland in 1971. Today, many college basketball programs across the country host a similar event to mark the first day of practice with fanfare.
His coaching tree lives on in women’s college basketball through Virginia Tech’s Kenny Brooks, who played and coached under Lefty at James Madison. A year ago, as the Hokies were making their first-ever run to the Final Four, Brooks said this of Driesell:
“When I played for him, I will be very honest, I thought he was the craziest man in the world. I got to work with him, and I got to see him from a different side. You know, things he was doing to us — we thought he was doing them to us — but he was actually doing them for us; very generous man. He made me a better player, but he made me a better person. I’m a better man because of his coaching. I’m a better father because of it.”
The college basketball world mourned the death of Driesell on Saturday with tributes and memories of the iconic coach:
Charles “Lefty” Driesell has passed. The personable coach was a tremendous guy and an ACC institution. He took four different programs to the NCAA Tourney. God Bless him and his family. 🙏🏻
— Mark Packer (@MarkPacker) February 17, 2024
Hearts go out to the family of Lefty Driesell, the man who put Maryland on the map & generated so much excitement. Lefty called & sent me cards from time to time. Maryland was very lucky to have him. We know he’s in heaven reunited with his wife, former players and rivals. AMEN!
— Brenda Frese (@BrendaFrese) February 17, 2024
One of one
A tribute to the incomparable Charles "Lefty" Driesell pic.twitter.com/bJHleoto5J
— Maryland Men’s Basketball (@TerrapinHoops) February 17, 2024
RIP to the incomparable Lefty Driesell pic.twitter.com/q2mz4BaoEf
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 17, 2024
The GameDay crew reflected on Charles “Lefty” Driesell's impact: pic.twitter.com/BIciIGQMRw
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) February 17, 2024
I am deeply saddened to share that Coach Lefty Driesell passed away this morning. He was a legend both on and off the court and instrumental in my life. I am grateful that we shared some time together a couple weeks ago. We will miss him dearly.
— Tom McMillen (@TomMcMillen611) February 17, 2024
