Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski is among eight individuals who will inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame on Friday. A 1969 graduate, Krzyzewski was the team captain his senior season and helped the squad to two trips to the National Invitational Tournament. He took over as head coach in 1975 and posted a 73-59 mark during his five-year tenure. Among the highlights of his time on the West Point sidelines was a trip to the NIT in 1978, Army’s most recent berth in that prestigious tournament.

“This is the ultimate honor for anyone who played on any West Point team,” said Krzyzewski. “To be in the Army Sports Hall of Fame puts you with some of the greatest people who have played their sport. It is a great honor. I have always said that so much of what I do on a day-to-day basis is a result of my experiences as a cadet, an officer and as a coach at Army.”

Krzyzewski, who earned three letters as a player at Army, is joined in West Point’s sixth induction class by Bill Carpenter (football), Ralph Chesnauskas (football and hockey), Tracy Hanlon (track and field and women’s basketball), Ray Murphy (Athletic Director, lacrosse, basketball, football), Nicki Robbins (softball), Jack Rust (lacrosse) and Thomas Truxtun (lacrosse and men’s soccer).

The honorees will be officially inducted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame on Friday, Sept. 11. A special plaque unveiling ceremony will be held in the Kenna Hall of Army Sports inside Kimsey Center, with the formal black-tie Hall of Fame Induction Banquet presented by Lockheed Martin set for Eisenhower Hall later that evening. The group will also be recognized during Army’s football game against Duke the next day at Michie Stadium with a special photograph and autograph session planned on Black Knights Alley prior to the contest.

Krzyzewski has won three national championships (1991, 1992 and 2001) at Duke and was enshrined into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. He is the winningest active coach in NCAA Division I basketball with 833 career victories, including 760 at Duke. He is also the winningest coach in NCAA Tournament history with 71-22 ledger.  Krzyzewski is also a fixture in international basketball after leading the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team to a gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Games.

Last season, Krzyzewski guided Duke to a 30-7 record for the program’s 10th 30-win season. The Blue Devils also captured their 11th ACC Tournament title and advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the 18th time under Krzyzewski in 2009.

The Army Sports Hall of Fame is a subset of the Kenna Hall of Army Sports, a comprehensive museum displaying Army’s rich and proud intercollegiate athletic program. It is located on the third floor of the Kimsey Athletic Center, Army’s massive football training facility.

Source: GoDuke.com
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The 11th Annual V Foundation Wine Celebration, which took place Aug. 7-8, raised a total of $2.3 million for critical cancer research.

Some 440 people attended the event, a signature fundraiser for the late legendary sportscaster and coach Jim Valvano’s V Foundation, held at Nickel & Nickel winery.

The guests were treated to a rousing speech by Duke coaching legend Mike “K” Krzyzewski, who shared his personal experiences at the 2008 Olympics, and fond memories of his friend Jim Valvano, urging everyone in the room to bid big, “…because cancer doesn’t recognize a recession.” With the crowd on notice, auctioneer David Reynolds took his place on stage and opened the bidding.

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Mike Krzyzewski was explaining why he re-upped for three more years of volunteer service to coach the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team. He unconsciously fingered the gold medal ring he earned for coaching the U.S. to victory in Beijing while trying to sum up the experience.

“My grandfather came with two suitcases on a boat from Krakow, Poland, to Ellis Island,” said Krzyzewski. “He worked in a coal mine in Pennsylvania. Two generations later, his grandson coached the U.S. Olympic team. I’m not sure I can explain it any better.

Read the full story - Coach K, USA Basketball Moving to New Levels Together