Coach K

February 15, 2025

Mike Krzyzewski, better known as “Coach K,” is widely regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. He led the Duke University Blue Devils to 13 Final Fours – the most of any coach in the game – and five national titles, and he brought home three Olympic gold medals with the United States national team. From his childhood in Chicago to his legendary 42-year career as Duke’s head coach, Krzyzewski will reflect on all he has learned about leadership. His tactics to identify excellent talent, turn weakness into strength, and lead with passion, will reveal the game plan to drive any team to success, whether on or off the court. 

Format: Speech with Audience Q&A

Passionate, dynamic, and inspiring, Mike Krzyzewski (better known as Coach K) served Duke University’s men’s basketball team for over 40 years and led Team USA to three Olympic gold medals. He is a master motivator of teams, individuals, and organizations, spurring them to succeed beyond their expectations.

A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Coach K is perhaps the most accomplished basketball coach in history. His unparalleled journey has inspired others to compile winning numbers in their own professional and personal lives.

A 12-time National Coach of the Year, Coach K was named Sports Illustrated’s 2011 “Sportsman of the Year” and has been honored seven times with the USA Basketball National Coach of the Year Award. He is the only men’s coach to win gold medals at the Olympics and FIBA World Cup while also possessing at least one NCAA Championship (he has five).

He has authored two New York Times bestsellers, including “Beyond Basketball: Coach K’s Keywords for Success.” His most recent book is “The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team.”

In 2004, he co-founded the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University, which has influenced the leadership development of more than 6,500 MBA students and executives. He now serves as a professor of the practice of leadership at the university’s Fuqua School of Business.

Coach K founded the Emily Krzyzewski Center in Durham, North Carolina, which has served more than 7,500 students. He has served on the board of directors at the V Foundation for Cancer Research since its inception in 1993. He and his wife Mickie also host the V Foundation Wine Celebration in Napa Valley, an annual event that has raised tens of millions of dollars in the fight against cancer.