Lon Kruger was inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame by the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Department of Intercollegiate Athletics last Thursday at the Valencia Event Center in McAllen.
Kruger is excited to be back in the Valley and is even more excited about receiving such an honor.
“Tremendous honor, again Barbara and I loved our time here,” Kruger said, referring to his wife. “We were 29 when we came and we brought a 2-year-old daughter, Angie, at that time and our son Kevin was born in the Weslaco Regional Hospital in 1983, so it’s great memories. I appreciate them taking a chance on a young guy.”
Kruger received his first head-coaching job at legacy institution University of Texas-Pan American and served from 1982 to 1989. He received a team that went 5-20 before his arrival. During the 1985-86 season, Kruger coached his team to a 20-8 record.
After four seasons, Kruger left UTPA to become head coach at Kansas State University.
His success at UTPA led him to become the first, and now only one of two coaches, to lead five programs to the NCAA Tournament: Kansas State University, the University of Florida, the University of Illinois, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and University of Oklahoma.
Kruger’s teams have participated in 17 NCAA tournaments and two Final Four games. He currently has a 619-395 record.
In 1998, he was the assistant coach for Team USA at the FIBA World Championship, where the team won a bronze medal.
From 2000-03, he was the head coach for the Atlanta Hawks and went on to become assistant coach from 2003-04 for the New York Knicks.
Kruger is currently the head coach at University of Oklahoma and remains active in the Athletics Department at UTRGV, along with his wife.
UTRGV Men’s Basketball Head Coach Lew Hill said he is happy with having Coach Kruger back and having the Sooners play against the Vaqueros.
“It feels great, you know,” Hill said. “He’s done a favor for me personally, and the university, and the Valley by bringing the University of Oklahoma down here to play.”
