INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana's homegrown basketball legend Steve Alford, who spent the past seven years at Nevada, said Thursday he will retire from coaching at the end of this season, a decision he says wasn't made lightly and was emotional for him and his family.
"After 36 years, I feel like this is the right time to step away from the bench," said Alford, 61, who won a national title with IU under the late coach Bob Knight, then went on to various coaching posts, including Manchester, Southwest Missouri State, Iowa, New Mexico and UCLA.
During a press conference at Nevada on Thursday, director of athletics Stephanie Rempe announced Alford would leave Nevada after the 2026-27 season.
"His decision has never wavered. His enthusiasm for this team, and this season is incredibly high. I know I'm excited to watch what he, his staff, and his team will accomplish this year," Rempe said. "And I'd be so excited for this community to rally around Steve and what he has brought to our university. So thank you, Steve, for who you are and what you've done for this institution."
When the mic was turned over to Alford, he said it is "kind of a bittersweet deal, obviously." Alford said he wanted to announce his retirement now, ahead of the season, to avoid distractions during the year.
"My staff understands the situation, our players understand, and we really want to make it a celebration all year long, not of me, but of our team," Alford said, "and the journey that we're on."
56 years of basketball will be missed
Alford was emotional as he talked about his 56 years of basketball, starting at 5 years old playing on a "bitty ball team" his dad, Sam Alford, started in Martinsville. They played on 8-foot goals and shot 12-foot free throws.
"So I was part of a team as a basketball player for 20 years, and now as a coach for 36," he said. "So 56 years of it, so when you get used to that as, you know, as a team, you always are concerned about when all of a sudden that team is gone and you're not a part of it."
Alford said he and his wife, Tanya, whom he met in high school at New Castle, came to the decision together.
"This is something that, throughout the summer, has been discussed. Didn't know exactly when it would happen, but with my parents getting older, with four grandchildren, and those type of things," he said. "So I've had a lot of time to think about it, be with family, and we just feel like it's the right time."
With the upcoming season, Alford has coached more than 500 players, "which that's a lot of players through a lot of different changes," he said.
"And most of those changes have happened at my time in Nevada, navigating COVID, navigating a complete revamp of a rule book. Coach Knight used to always say that we have a NCAA rule book that's that thick, and now it's that thick," Alford said. "And so there have been vast changes, and most of them happened in the last seven years, and yet our guys have really responded."
Nevada made an NIT run last season and two appearances in the NCAA tournament under Alford.
"So they've had a lot of success, but as I told them today, we haven't won a conference championship, and we haven't won an NCAA tournament game, and that's something that we've been able to do at every stop," he said. "And so, I think we're very excited about this team. It's a team that our staff believes in."
What IU coach Bob Knight taught Alford
"I learned so much under coach Knight, preparation and the will to prepare, and our guys have notebooks today, because that's what I had. I had to carry a notebook, which was unheard of, and probably very few coaches in the country are giving out notebooks, but it's a class to me, and it was a class to coach Knight.
"And I learned that from him, that it's just another class on campus. You gotta be on time, you know, sit in the front row, be attentive, get better every day, take notes. You're gonna learn more if you write it down and see it. And that was the idea of the notebook. And that was Coach Knight, all of his preparation."
Using what he learned from Knight, Alford has found great success in the coaching ranks. In 2024, he became the second coach in the history of DI college hoops to win at least 100 games at four different schools — 156 at Iowa, 155 at New Mexico, 124 at UCLA and then 102 at Nevada. He now has 137 wins at Nevada.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Hunsinger on X @danahunsinger33. Reach her via email dbenbow@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: From New Castle to IU to Nevada, Steve Alford announces final season on the sidelines
