West Virginia's Bob Huggins resigns after DUI charge
Bob Huggins told his team Saturday night that he had resigned as West Virginia's head men’s basketball coach after he was arrested and charged in Pittsburgh for driving under the influence on Friday night, sources told FOX Sports.
The DUI was the second significant controversial, self-inflicted event for Huggins in just six weeks. He was suspended by West Virginia in May for making homophobic remarks aimed at Xavier fans in a guest appearance on a Cincinnati radio station. His salary was also cut by $1 million and West Virginia amended his contract from a multi-year agreement to a year-by-year deal.
The coach released a statement Saturday night stating that he had submitted his resignation, taking responsibility for his actions and vowing to do better.
Huggins, 69, was the winningest active coach in men’s college basketball with 935 career victories. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022 and is one of only six coaches in men’s college hoops history to record 900 or more wins. He is a graduate of West Virginia, having played point guard from 1975-77 after transferring from Ohio.
West Virginia University released the following:
"Coach Huggins informed us of his intent to retire and has submitted his letter of resignation, and we have accepted it in light of recent events. We support his decision so that he can focus on his health and family.
"On behalf of West Virginia University, we share our appreciation for his service to our University, our community and our state. During his time as a student-athlete, assistant coach and head coach, Coach Huggins devoted himself to his players, to our student body, to our fans and alumni and to all West Virginians. His contributions will always be a part of our history.
"In the days ahead, we will focus on supporting the student-athletes in our men's basketball program and solidifying leadership for our program."
Huggins was arrested and charged with DUI on Friday night, according to a police report.
The report states:
"Just before 8:30 p.m., Pittsburgh Police from Zone 1 observed a black SUV on Merchant Street off of Ridge Avenue in the middle of the road, blocking traffic. The driver's side door was open and the vehicle had a flat and shredded tire.
"Officers directed the male driver on how best to move off the road so they could help with the flat tire. When they observed him having difficulty maneuvering the SUV to allow vehicles to pass, they activated their lights to pull him over. Upon questioning, officers had strong suspicion to believe the male was intoxicated."
According to the criminal complaint against Huggins, an officer observed garbage bags with empty beer containers both inside the vehicle and in the trunk.
Huggins said he had been to a basketball camp with his brother in Sherrodsville, Ohio. An officer said Huggins was asked multiple times what city he was in but never got a response.
Huggins failed field sobriety tests, and the Hall of Fame head coach was then placed into custody. A breath test determined Huggins’ blood alcohol content was 0.21%, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08% in Pennsylvania. A blood sample also was taken from Huggins at a hospital before his release.
Huggins will report for a preliminary hearing at a later date.
This marks the second DUI for Huggins, who was convicted of the same offense in 2004 while he was the head coach at Cincinnati. It led to his resignation from the school.
What’s next for the Mountaineers?
Sources tell FOX Sports that the university is focused on hiring a permanent head coach and not just bringing in an interim for a season. This creates a fascinating situation to monitor because the Mountaineers were one of the biggest winners in the transfer portal this offseason, notably reeling in former Syracuse star Jesse Edwards and former Arizona standout guard Kerr Kriisa.
Those players are given a 30-day window to transfer that is allowed by the NCAA due to a coaching change.
Northwest Missouri State head coach Ben McCollum, who has won four Division II national championships, previously worked for current West Virginia athletic director Wren Baker and the two have very close ties.
WVU assistant coach Ron Everhart presumes to be the in-house favorite, but if the Mountaineers are trying to really start anew, that option could be out.
Other names to consider: Andy Kennedy, Jerrod Calhoun, Frank Martin, John Beilein and Ritchie McKay.
My take: Don’t hire someone for the sake of hiring them. This is a very valuable job, a top 25 one in college basketball in my opinion. The Mountaineers are the only show in Morgantown, have major NIL dollars and play in as good as any conference in college basketball, the Big 12.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter at @John_Fanta.