April 1, 2009

LEXINGTON, Ky. – On Wednesday, April 1, 2009 the University of Kentucky named John Calipari the 22nd head coach in UK basketball history, pending approval of the UK Board of Trustees.

Calipari agreed to an eight-year contract worth $31.65 million plus incentives. An additional $200,000 buyout was paid to the University of Memphis.

The 2009 Sports Illustrated National Coach of the Year, Calipari led the Memphis Tigers to an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance and a 33-4 record this season.

He also led the Tigers to the 2008 NCAA title game, and Memphis’ 38 wins in 2007-08 made him the winningest coach for a single season in NCAA history. As a result, Calipari was named Naismith National Coach of the Year for a second time in his career. He is only the second coach to receive the honor multiple times since the award’s inception in 1987.

The Tigers’ 147 wins the last four seasons made Calipari the winningest coach in a four-year span in NCAA Division I history. During that same time, he directed the Tigers to four straight 30-win campaigns becoming the first coach in NCAA Division I history to record four-straight 30-win ledgers. His 104 victories in the last three seasons are the second-most in NCAA Division I history in a three-year span.

With his success in Memphis, Calipari’s overall record soared to 445-140 for an impressive 76.1 winning percentage. His 445 wins is the second most in NCAA Division I history in the first 17 years.