As Lute Olson enters his another season at the University of Arizona, he has established both the Wildcat basketball program and himself as two of the preeminent figures on the collegiate basketball landscape. Whether it’s the 1997 national championship, four Final Four appearances, 21 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 Pacific-10 Conference titles, or the nation’s best winning percentage over the past 18 seasons, basketball excellence & the University of Arizona go hand-in-hand. Olson, now in his fourth decade as a head coach, also has a title that befits those monumental accomplishments as he was selected for enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. In a career full of individual and team accolades, this honor ranks among the best. True to form, Olson shared the recognition with his family, coaches and players. Long considered one of the top coaches in Pac-10 history, he has led Arizona to the aforementioned 11 league titles, with the last coming in 2005. He has a career Pac-10 mark of 305-87 (.778), and the 305 conference victories are the most in league history. Olson is the No. 2 coach in Pac-10 history for career winning percentage for conference games with more than two years experience, trailing only the legendary John Wooden (.810/304-74). Olson, who was a finalist for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction in 2000 and 2001, had success long before his days on the collegiate level. In 11 years as a high school coach (1956-69), he compiled a record of 180-76 (.703). After that, there were four years in the junior college ranks at Long Beach City College, where he was 103-22 (.824). Factor in those games, along with the contests as the head coach at Arizona, Iowa and Long Beach State, and he has 1,024 victories heading into 2005-06. Olson became the 16th coach in basketball history to register 1,000 career wins, when his Wildcats defeated Utah, 67-62, on Dec. 11, 2004. His success not only happens on the court, but also in the recruiting process and in the number of former players that currently play in the NBA. With nine NBA Draft picks in the last five seasons alone, Arizona players routinely hear their names called on Draft Day. Since the NBA Draft was shortened to two rounds in 1989, Arizona leads the nation with 26 total selections. In his collegiate career, Olson has produced 51 NBA Draft picks, including 30 at Arizona. In 2004, there were eight Arizona alums on NBA rosters, and Olson has had at least one former player appear in the NBA Finals in seven of the last 10 seasons. In that time span, six former Cats have earned world championship rings. With the success of the Wildcats, the accolades for Olson continue to grow. His resume includes Coach-of-the-Year honors from both the Pac-10 (1986, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1994 & 1998) and the Big Ten (1979 & 1981) in addition to a variety of regional and national honors. He earned the John R. Wooden "Legends of Coaching" and the Clair Bee Coach of the Year awards in 2001. In the summer of 1999, he was also inducted into the Pima County (Ariz.) Sports Hall of Fame. Titles Teamwork Leadership Giving Back to the Community Topics Celebrity, Sports, Motivation, Leadership, Success, Team Building Click topic above to see more speakers on that topic Speaker's Asking Fee Range $15,000 or more Click on fee range to see more speakers. This is the starting keynote fee range - other programs may be higher. State AZ Click on state above to see more speakers from that state. Fees The fee range quoted means the speaker's fee starts somewhere within that range. Note that speaker's fees are subject to change and some speakers may have special fee quotes.