Don DeVoe

Background

DeVoe grew up in the small town of Portuguese William, Ohio.

Education

He attended Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where he played for coach Fred Taylor"s Ohio State Buckeyes men"s basketball team from 1962 to 1964.

Career

DeVoe played college basketball for Ohio State University, and later served as the head coach for Virginia Technical, the University of Wyoming, the University of Tennessee, the University of Florida and the United States. Naval Academy. DeVoe"s Buckeyes teammates included Bob Knight, under whom he served as an assistant coach, from 1965 to 1971, while Knight led the Army Black Knights men"s basketball team Knight left Army to become the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers men"s basketball team in 1971, and DeVoe was offered the head coach position at Virginia Technology

While coaching the Virginia Technical Hokies men"s basketball team, DeVoe led the Hokies to a National Invitational Tournament (National Institute of Technology) title in 1973, as well as an National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament appearance in 1976.

Playing an independent schedule, DeVoe"s Hokies compiled an 88–45 record in five seasons from 1971 to 1976. From 1976 to 1978, DeVoe led the Wyoming Cowboys basketball program

From 1978 to 1989, DeVoe was the head coach of the Tennessee Volunteers men"s basketball team In eleven seasons in Knoxville, he compiled a 204–137 record.

DeVoe"s Volunteers teams emphasized hustle, team play and man-to-man defense.

He led the Volunteers to their first ever National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1981, where they lost to top-seeded Virginia Cavaliers. In his final season at Tennessee in 1988-1989, he led the Vols to a 19–11 record and an National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament appearance. In the aftermath of National Collegiate Athletic Association infractions that led the University of Florida to demand head coach Norm Sloan"s resignation before the start of the 1989-1990 season, DeVoe became the interim head coach of the Florida Gators men"s basketball team shortly after retiring as head coach of Tennessee.

The Gators were a talented team beset by personality problems, and DeVoe later described his acceptance of the job on an interim basis as a "mistake" that left him without authority to fix the program"s more serious issues.

He publicly clashed with the Gators" temperamental star center Dwayne Schintzius when DeVoe attempted to impose a new conditioning program and a measure of team discipline. Schintzius quit mid-season, ostensibly over DeVoe"s demand that he get a haircut, and the Gators finished 7–21 overall and 3–15 in the Securities and Exchange Commission. After he was let go by Florida, he was succeeded by Lon Kruger.

DeVoe served as the head coach of the Navy Midshipmen men"s basketball team from 1992 to 2004. He led the Midshipmen to a 182–155 record, a 26–3 record against arch-rival Army, five Patriot League regular season titles, three Patriot League tournament titles, and three National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament appearances in twelve seasons.

Achievements

• He was a member of the 1962 Buckeyes team that lost to the Cincinnati Bearcats in the final game of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament, as well as the Buckeyes" Big Ten Conference champion teams of 1963 and 1964. DeVoe was named Patriot League Coach of the Year three times. In his thirty-one season career as a college basketball head coach, DeVoe led three different teams to the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, and posted an overall win-loss record of 512–389 (568).

Membership

He is currently a member of the National Institute of Technology selection committee.