Oklahoma HC Lon Kruger Retiring After 35 Years as CBB Coach

Oklahoma men's basketball head coach Lon Kruger is retiring, per Jeff Goodman of Stadium.

Kruger, 68, has served as Oklahoma's coach since the 2011-12 season and has been a college coach since 1982.

Kruger has led Oklahoma to a 195-128 record in his 10 seasons at the helm, including seven NCAA tournament appearances and one Final Four berth. 

Previous stops included Texas-Rio Grande Valley (1982-86), Kansas State (1986-90), Florida (1990-96), Illinois (1996-00) and UNLV (2004-11). He's 674-432 for his career, with 20 Final Four appearances and two Final Four berths. 

As ESPN's Jeff Borzello noted, "Kruger is considered one of the more underrated coaches of his generation. One of only three coaches to lead five different programs to the NCAA tournament."

In his final season with the Sooners, Kruger led the team to a 16-11 record and a berth in the NCAA tournament, where they defeated Missouir before losing to undefeated Gonzaga in the second round. He'll leave behind one of the better coaching vacancies in college basketball, as the Sooners have reemerged as a major threat out of the Big 12. 

Oklahoma now has two basketball head-coaching vacancies, with women's head coach Sherri Coale retiring last week.