Kansas State University Athletics
Men's Basketball
Kruger, Lon
Lon Kruger
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
A two-time Big Eight Player of the Year for K-State in 1973 and 1974, Lon Kruger is remembered for many accomplishments as the Wildcats’ head coach from 1986-90. At the top of that list, one will find four consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Despite K-State’s reputation, no coach had been able to secure four straight trips to the prestigious event. Kruger changed all that by taking the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four years at the helm, and became the first coach in school history to win 20 games in his initial season.
His best team was the 1987-88 club, which featured All-American and 2014 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Mitch Richmond. That squad tied the school record for wins at 25-9 and advanced all the way to the Midwest Regional title game at Pontiac, Michigan, where the Wildcats lost to eventual champion Kansas. Following that season, he was named NABC District Coach of the Year.
With a coaching style marked by calculated precision and calm under pressure, Kruger led the Wildcats to several triumphs that will be recalled for many years to come. His upsets of some of the nation’s highest-ranked teams became almost routine as his trips to the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Silver Lake, Kansas, Kruger was a three-year lettermen for head coach Jack Hartman from 1971-74, winning Big Eight Player of the Year accolades in both 1973 and 1974. He scored 1,063 points in his career, including a 17.6-point average his senior year, and his jersey was retired in 2006.
Kruger served as an assistant to Hartman for four years from 1978-81 before accepting the head coaching position at Texas-Pan American (now Texas-Rio Grande Valley) in 1982. He spent five years at UTPA before following his mentor as head coach at K-State in 1986.
Following his stint at K-State, Kruger moved onto Florida for six seasons (1990-96) where he led the Gators to 104 wins and the 1994 Final Four. He left Florida in 1996 to become head coach at Illinois for four years (1996-2000), guiding the Fighting Illini to 81 victories, three three NCAA Tournaments (1997, 1998, 2000) and a Big Ten crown in 1998. He left to take over as head coach of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks in May 2000, compiling a 69-122 record with the Hawks before being replaced on Dec. 26, 2002.
Kruger returned to the college game in March 2004 when he was named head coach at UNLV. He led the Runnin’ Rebels to 161 wins and six postseason appearances in seven seasons (2004-11), which included four NCAA Tournaments (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011).
Kruger left Las Vegas in 2011 to take the head coaching job at Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to 195 wins and seven NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 seasons before retiring in March 2021. His Sooner tenure was highlighted by his second trip to the Final Four in 2016.
In 2012-13, Kruger became the first coach in NCAA history to take five different schools (K-State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV and Oklahoma) to the NCAA Tournament, while he was the first to take four schools to the Sweet 16 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. He was also the first coach to take five schools to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.
Kruger retired from the coaching profession on March 25, 2021 to help his son, Kevin, who was named the head coach at UNLV. He finished his career with a 674-432 (.609) overall record in 35 seasons, including 100 or more wins at Florida (104), UNLV (161) and Oklahoma (195). His teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament 20 times, including Final Four appearances in 1994 and 2016. He will be inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in November 2022.
Despite K-State’s reputation, no coach had been able to secure four straight trips to the prestigious event. Kruger changed all that by taking the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four years at the helm, and became the first coach in school history to win 20 games in his initial season.
His best team was the 1987-88 club, which featured All-American and 2014 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee Mitch Richmond. That squad tied the school record for wins at 25-9 and advanced all the way to the Midwest Regional title game at Pontiac, Michigan, where the Wildcats lost to eventual champion Kansas. Following that season, he was named NABC District Coach of the Year.
With a coaching style marked by calculated precision and calm under pressure, Kruger led the Wildcats to several triumphs that will be recalled for many years to come. His upsets of some of the nation’s highest-ranked teams became almost routine as his trips to the NCAA Tournament.
A native of Silver Lake, Kansas, Kruger was a three-year lettermen for head coach Jack Hartman from 1971-74, winning Big Eight Player of the Year accolades in both 1973 and 1974. He scored 1,063 points in his career, including a 17.6-point average his senior year, and his jersey was retired in 2006.
Kruger served as an assistant to Hartman for four years from 1978-81 before accepting the head coaching position at Texas-Pan American (now Texas-Rio Grande Valley) in 1982. He spent five years at UTPA before following his mentor as head coach at K-State in 1986.
Following his stint at K-State, Kruger moved onto Florida for six seasons (1990-96) where he led the Gators to 104 wins and the 1994 Final Four. He left Florida in 1996 to become head coach at Illinois for four years (1996-2000), guiding the Fighting Illini to 81 victories, three three NCAA Tournaments (1997, 1998, 2000) and a Big Ten crown in 1998. He left to take over as head coach of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks in May 2000, compiling a 69-122 record with the Hawks before being replaced on Dec. 26, 2002.
Kruger returned to the college game in March 2004 when he was named head coach at UNLV. He led the Runnin’ Rebels to 161 wins and six postseason appearances in seven seasons (2004-11), which included four NCAA Tournaments (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011).
Kruger left Las Vegas in 2011 to take the head coaching job at Oklahoma, where he led the Sooners to 195 wins and seven NCAA Tournament appearances in 10 seasons before retiring in March 2021. His Sooner tenure was highlighted by his second trip to the Final Four in 2016.
In 2012-13, Kruger became the first coach in NCAA history to take five different schools (K-State, Florida, Illinois, UNLV and Oklahoma) to the NCAA Tournament, while he was the first to take four schools to the Sweet 16 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams. He was also the first coach to take five schools to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.
Kruger retired from the coaching profession on March 25, 2021 to help his son, Kevin, who was named the head coach at UNLV. He finished his career with a 674-432 (.609) overall record in 35 seasons, including 100 or more wins at Florida (104), UNLV (161) and Oklahoma (195). His teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament 20 times, including Final Four appearances in 1994 and 2016. He will be inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in November 2022.
K-State MBB | Hang With Tang On The Go (Season 4, Episode 1)
Friday, September 05
K-State MBB | Coach Driscoll Mic'd Up
Friday, August 08
K-State MBB | Vet Week 2025
Monday, August 04
K-State MBB | Weight Room Renovations
Thursday, July 24
