Former Oklahoma basketball coach Lon Kruger, now retired, was named to the 2022 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Class.

Kruger coached for over 40 years, with his final 10 years  in Norman as the head coach of Oklahoma.

A native of Silver Lake, Kansas, Kruger had a record of 195-128 (.604) with the Sooners. For his head coaching career, his record was an impressive 674-432 (.609).

Kruger is Oklahoma’s first head coach to be inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, and he will join former OU star and three-time All-American Wayman Tisdale in the Hall of Fame.

“Very honored to join those who have already been inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame,” Kruger said in a press release. “Any time a coach receives the honor, it is a result of the people that surround him. From players, staff and coaches and so many people through the years, it has always been about the relationships.

“Everyone who has been a part of this journey should feel some ownership in it. All of the terrific people that we have worked with in 47 years of coaching helped make the journey remarkable. Every stop that we have made, there were good people who were unbelievably helpful and supportive.”

Kruger’s 674 career wins landed him at No. 27 on the all-time wins list, and he is the only head coach to win NCAA Tournament games with five different programs.

Kruger-led teams made the NCAA Tournament 20 times, reaching the Final Four in 1994 with Florida and in 2016 with Oklahoma.

Kruger led the Sooners to seven spots in the NCAA Tournament, including two Sweet 16 appearances to go along with the 2016 Final Four team.

Kruger’s 195 victories at OU rank as the fourth most in program history. He is also the only coach since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985 to take four programs to the Sweet 16 or beyond.

“What a tremendous and incredibly well-deserved honor for Lon,” said OU Athletic Director Joe Castiglione. “He was a quintessential coach and a wonderful leader of countless young men everywhere he’s been. We are all beneficiaries of his dedication to the game of basketball. At OU, we are especially grateful for his significant impact on our program during his 10 years here. Lon obviously developed fantastic players and teams during his career, but his success transcended the outcome of any games or seasons.”

Oklahoma produced six first-team All-Big 12 selections during Kruger’s tenure, including 2016 National Player of the Year Buddy Hield and 2018 National Freshman of the Year Trae Young.

Four Sooners were selected in the NBA Draft during Kruger’s tenure and both Hield and Young were taken within the first six picks of the NBA Draft.

He made 20 total NCAA Tournament appearances at Kansas State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV and Oklahoma after starting his college career at what is now UTRGV. He was a four-time conference Coach of the Year. Kruger also held NBA head and assistant coaching jobs with the Hawks and Knicks. He continues to serve the sport through his role as chair of the Coaches vs. Cancer Council.

Kruger spent seven years at UNLV and compiled a 161-71 (.694) record prior to his arrival in Norman. He coached the Runnin’ Rebels to four NCAA Tournaments and revitalized a program that had made the NCAA Tournament only two times in the previous 15 seasons before Kruger’s leadership.

Kruger spent four years as the Illinois head coach prior to his four-year stint in the NBA. His Illini teams were 81-48 and made the NCAA Tournament three times.

He spent the previous six seasons at Florida (1990-96) and led the Gators to the 1994 Final Four. The year prior to Kruger’s arrival in Gainesville, the Gators finished 7-21. He became one of two head coaches to inherit two teams coming off a sub-.500 year and take both to the Final Four within their first five seasons as head coach.

Prior to his time at Florida, Kruger received his second collegiate head coaching job at his alma mater, Kansas State (1986-90). He finished his four-year stay in Manhattan with an 81-46 (.638) record and led all four teams to the NCAA Tournament.

Kruger started his coaching career at Texas-Pan American (now UTRGV) where he compiled a 52-59 record. He concluded his four-year tenure with a 20-8 record in his final season.

In 2019, Kruger was awarded the John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award and in 2017 he was awarded the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Metropolitan Award for long and outstanding service to men’s college basketball.

The 2022 Class includes Kruger, Richard Hamilton (UConn), Larry Miller (North Carolina), Frank Selvy (Furman), Jimmy Walker (Providence) and coaches John Beilein and Jerry Krause.

The Class of 2022 will be enshrined on Nov. 20 in Kansas City as part of National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Weekend, which also features the annual Hall of Fame Classic tournament.