Cincinnati Bearcats Basketball Coaching Legend Part of 2026 UC Athletics Hall of Fame Class

A legendary Cincinnati coach is entering the James P. Kelly Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. The Bearcats all-time winningest basketball coach, Bob Huggins, is getting inducted into the Hall on Oct. 23.

One of his former players, Corie Blount, revealed the news to Huggins in a video posted on UC's social media accounts.

Cincinnati athletic director John Cunningham wrote a letter to the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Famer to notify him this week.

"Dear Coach Huggins, few individuals have had a greater impact on the University of Cincinnati and UC basketball than this guy right here," Blount read from the letter. "Your leadership of our men's basketball program helped define one of the most successful eras in school history, and returned Cincinnati to the national stage as the winningest coach in program history.

"The toughness, the passion, and the competitive standards you established continue to be synonymous with Cincinnati basketball today. Your accomplishments, legacy, and impact on generations of student athletes and fans have secured your place among all-time greats in Cincinnati athletic history. It is with great pride that we would like to inform you that you have been selected into the James P. Kelly University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame."

Huggins led the program from 1989 to 2005 and oversaw some of the highest moments for UC basketball outside of the national championship runs in the early 1960s.

The Bearcats went to 14 NCAA Tournaments during his tenure and reached heights like the 1992 Final Four, three Elite Eights, and four Sweet Sixteens. The Bearcats' all-time leader with 399 wins, Huggins led Cincinnati to eight league tournament titles and 10 regular-season conference championships during his elite run.

He also helped build the foundation for UC coaching great Mick Cronin and was directly involved with new UC coach Jerrod Calhoun. The latter was a student assistant on Huggins' staff while attending UC.

“He was in my office pretty much every day, and he studies film. He's just done a great job all the way around. He goes and finds players. And that's hard to do. It's much, much harder than what a lot of people think it is," Huggins said to local media when Calhoun was hired at UC this April.

Now, he gets to watch Calhoun attack his first season at UC after officially getting inducted in late October.

- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer
- UC’s all-time wins leader
- 10 regular-season conference titles
- Eight conference tournament titles
- 14 NCAA Tournament trips

Legendary coach Bob Huggins is heading to the James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame❗️ pic.twitter.com/u36RwX97MI
— Cincinnati Bearcats (@GoBEARCATS) June 10, 2026

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