One of college basketball’s most successful coaches and one of the game’s biggest personalities, Lefty Driesell, coached four different schools to the NCAA tournament, won more than 700 games and is credited with inventing Midnight Madness.
The Norfolk native and Hall of Famer who coached at Davidson, Maryland, James Madison and Georgia State, died Saturday at his home in Virginia Beach. He was 92.
“Lefty was a larger-than-life figure who made a significant impact wherever he went, particularly at James Madison and our men’s basketball program,” JMU athletic director Jeff Bourne said in a statement. “Although my time at JMU did not overlap with his, his imprint on our program was evident from day one. On behalf of JMU Athletics, we are so grateful for Lefty’s contributions to JMU and to the sport of college basketball. We send our condolences to his family and friends.”