Indiana Basketball Legend Steve Alford To Receive Award During Final Four Weekend

The 2026 Final Four will take place in Indianapolis, so it's only right to honor an Indiana legend.

Current Nevada coach Steve Alford, who led the Indiana Hoosiers to the 1987 National Championship, will receive the "Keys To Life" Award at an event hosted by the international sports ministry Athletes in Action.

The award is named after legendary UCLA coach John Wooden and given to a current or former basketball figure who exemplifies the character and leadership traits for which Coach Wooden was most known, according to the news release.

The event will take place April 4 from 8-10 a.m. ET at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. Former ESPN analyst Chris Broussard will be the emcee, and fans can purchase tickets at keystolife.us.

“Athletes in Action is honored to name Steve Alford as the recipient of the 2026 Coach John Wooden ‘Keys to Life’ Award,”said Jared Miller, director of Athletes in Action Basketball, in a news release.“Steve demonstrates the character and leadership that helped define Coach Wooden’s legacy. He has made a difference in the lives of athletes, both on the court, and more importantly, in everyday life.”

Alford, 61, was born in Franklin, Ind. and attended New Castle High School, where he earned the title of 1983 Indiana Mr. Basketball.

Along with winning Indiana's most recent men's basketball national title under Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight in 1987, Alford was a two-time All-American and a four-year starter for the Hoosiers. He averaged 19.5 points per game across his four-year career, and stands as the second-leading scorer in program history with 2,438 points, behind only Calbert Cheaney.

Following his playing career, which included four NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors, he has held head coaching roles at Manchester University, Southwest Missouri State, Iowa, New Mexico, UCLA and Nevada.

He has a 646-357 (.644) coaching record at the Division I level, including 13 NCAA Tournament appearances in 31 seasons. Alford made a Sweet 16 run with No. 12 seed Southwest Missouri State in 1999, won three Mountain West titles at New Mexico, and guided UCLA to the Sweet 16 three times in five seasons before being fired 13 games into his sixth season.

Alford's 2025-26 Nevada team went 24-13 and lost to Auburn in the NIT quarterfinals, ending his seventh season with the Wolfpack.

After Alford's award ceremony Saturday morning, the Final Four between No. 2 UConn and No. 3 Illinois tips off at 6:09 p.m. ET, followed by No. 1 Michigan versus No. 1 Arizona at 8:49 p.m. ET.