KANSAS CITY - Former Maryland men's basketball head coach Gary Williams was enshrined in the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2014 on Sunday.
Williams, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in August, is the first coach to be inducted in both hall of fames in the same year.
Williams and the Class of 2014 were inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Arvest Bank Theatre at the Midland in Kansas City as part of a three-day celebration of college basketball.
Joining Williams in the Class of 2014 are All-Americans and NCAA champions Grant Hill of Duke and Darrell Griffith of Louisville, along with two-time national player of the year and All-American Shaquille O'Neal of LSU. Former NAIA star Zelmo Beaty of Prairie View A&M, NCAA Final Four coach Dale Brown and contributors Howard Garfinkel and Glenn Wilkes, Sr. also join the class.
"It's been an amazing chance to look back," Williams said. "When you are coaching, you never have the opportunity to look back. You only look forward to the next game or the next opponent. But I have had the opportunity over this past year to see many of my peers along the way and reconnect with great players and assistant coaches who helped me tremendously throughout my career."
The enshrinement events had extra meaning for Terrapin fans, as the Maryland men's basketball team is scheduled to participate in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City Monday and Tuesday. Maryland will take on Arizona State Monday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU, and will face either Iowa State or Alabama Tuesday on ESPNU or ESPN2.
As head coach of the Terrapins from 1990-2011, Williams led the team to 11 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (1994-2004), a national championship in 2002, an ACC tournament championship in 2004 and was enshrined into the University of Maryland Sports Hall of Fame and University of Maryland Alumni Hall of Fame.
Williams was also named Coach of the Year from Basketball America, Playboy, CBSsportsline.com, District and the ACC during his career. He compiled an overall coaching record of 668-380 (.637) and led his teams to seven 25-win seasons and 22 appearances in postseason play.
The Hall of Fame is located in the College Basketball Experience (CBE), a world-class entertainment facility adjacent to Sprint Center in Kansas City.
