mickie krzyzewski young
Before coming to play for Krzyzewski, Greg Paulus, one of the freshmen, was rated one of the top high school point guards in the nation, as well as the top quarterback prospect. Mike Krzyzewski's interactive/feminine qualities of leadership may be partly innate, but to a large extent, he learned them from his family. They are all celebrated as leaders. That is not a bad description of Duke basketball. We couldn't be hysterical or whatever those stereotypes of women are. During the first years of their marriage, Frasher says, he attended family gatherings but didnt say much. Of all Krzyzewski's Duke players, only two have stayed the full four years and failed to graduate, a remarkable record in an era when some other elite programs routinely graduate fewer than half their players. This is from 2014, against Florida State. One former Duke player, Mark Alarie, recalls that Krzyzewski ripped a picture of him off the locker-room wall after a game, a theatrical move that would seem unworthy of a bad Hollywood sports drama. But there are upsides to the change, Lindy says. Abe Lemons, who led college basketball teams in Texas and Oklahoma for a combined 34 seasons, once observed that there were only two plays: "Romeo and Juliet" and Put the Darn Ball in the Basket, by which he meant that basketball (and possibly life itself) was not much about strategy. No more plays to call. They have three daughters: Debbie, Lindy, and Jamie. His mother and father had a quick (and, as Krzyzewski recalls, angry-sounding) conversation in Polish. But damn, I was in the arena for a long time. He also retires with a personal winning record against the Tar Heels at 50-48, and with a victory total of 1,202 including 101 in the NCAA Tournament that no man will ever match. 13-ranked Morikawa joins the field for PGAs Wells Fargo Championship. It keeps the party going, but its also another social experiment. He loaded himself onto that golf cart, and slowly disappeared down a tunnel. Alan D. Schwartz is the president of Bear Stearns, a Wall Street firm that generated more than $7 billion in revenue last year. Because Krzyzewski attracts kids who tend to feel secure, and not just about basketball, he can put pressure on them similar to what he experienced at West Point, knowing that even when they fail, they are unlikely to feel like failures. John Feinstein: Mike Krzyzewski made college basketball history by never making excuses. Grant Hill, perhaps Krzyzewski's greatest player, was an extreme example of the Duke basketball demographic; his Yale-educated father played in the National Football League, and his mother was a classmate of Hillary Clinton's at Wellesley. They know it before they even arrive. Krzyzewski previously led Army for five years, from 1975-80, after previously playing for the Black Knights under coach Bob Knight. (Duke Athletics), It's 1987, and this is former Duke star/current Harvard coach Tommy Amaker celebrating a win with Krzyzewski. Other times, he threatened to drive over in the middle of the night, back up his Escalade, and yank it from their yard. (USATSI), Finally, Krzyzewski in 2014, embracing Jabari Parker. A few years ago, when a player was feeling sorry for himself, Krzyzewski ended practice and invited players, coaches and support staff to midcourt so everyone could have an actual pity party. Born on February 13, 1947, in Chicago , Illinois , Mike Krzyzewski is a veteran basketball coach who is popularly referred to as Coach K. Coach K has served "How much better did that make us as a team?" Mike and Mickie Krzyzewski celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary this year. Since then Coach K has taken every opportunity to outline their many differences while still staying on Knights good side wherever that is undoubtedly a stickier task than teaching dozens of trophy makers how to spell his name., More:Coach K and Bobby Knight: A season on the bench. "', That's not something a lot of coaches would heap on young players. North Carolina spoils emotional home finale of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski. Jon Scheyer, who was on Duke's 2010 national championship team and has served on Krzyzewski's bench since April 2013, will speak publicly Friday. But Krzyzewski's admirers in the corporate world consider his handling of such an array of stars to also be his primary challenge -- and one that they specifically relate to their own businesses. ", In the first few minutes of his speech, he joked about his appearance -- his big nose and overly large ears -- and noted that he is "not the best-looking guy in the world." section: | slug: look-unfamiliar-photos-of-mike-krzyzewski-through-the-years | sport: collegebasketball | route: article_single.us | "After the Final Four ended," Redick explains, "Coach told me I was personally unworthy of being a national champion. You put it off to the very end, and it was kind of like I messed up because if Duke doesnt win this game, hes not going to be in a good mood, Frasher says. As Duke basketball's "performance development coordinator," she attends practices and staff meetings and, according to the team's media guide, provides a "non-basketball perspective" for the coaches. Former Duke Blue Devils basketball star Paolo Banchero won the NBAs Rookie of the Year award. Dont you think? So when someone enters the coachs realm with the bold intention of dating one of his daughters, Jamie finds the proceedings highly entertaining. ", To a man, the Duke players I talked to, both current and former, say they consider Krzyzewski's most important attribute to be his honesty, even if it is a sometimes brutal honesty. When asked if he thinks it's easier for him to coach the kind of students he is able to attract, Krzyzewski says their backgrounds do not make them smarter players, necessarily, but do give them other attributes he finds useful. Krzyzewski saw his players cry in the locker room Saturday night and actually called it a beautiful sight.. "My question is, Is that the last deal you're going to do?" Mickie Krzyzewski is expected to be between the ages of 60 and 65, and her young photos may become available to the public after some time. He had been in the water before -- Lake Michigan -- but only up to his waist. Mickie says she and her husband made an agreement when he began coaching at Army: that he would never say she couldn't go somewhere with him because no other women would be there. He has also raised funds for the "K Lab" (officially, the Michael W. Krzyzewski Human Performance Research Laboratory at Duke Medical Center), a research center for the prevention of athletic injuries. His forays into the corporate world are a way to stay engaged and, to some extent, to keep from getting bored by basketball. But he knew he hadn't been an idiot. They all win. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001. It was about him coming to my home and telling me to change that plant, Spatola says. during a 2019 interview with The Washington Post, announcing last year that he would retire after this season, New York Times story, and scatological and anatomical references., beat North Carolina and win the mens national title. Maybe Division II.. The night before the call, Frasher watched as the Blue Devils blew a double-digit lead against Illinois, pleading with the basketball gods to let Duke survive. Thanks for contacting us. ", Redick says that he was "living a college lifestyle. "You know what? Well, anyone who wants to beat you -- and then sell you the book on how it was done -- can be accused of that. For years, Mike Krzyzewski, the legendary Coach K, has been pounding your team, my team and every other damn team in America, but here he is saying that he's not, really, all about basketball. In a rivalry defined by hate, Love was the difference, finishing with 28 points. Young Mike instead organized a team that took on all comers in other neighborhoods. I'm a hybrid, which I think you should be.". (Duke Athletics), With his daughters, Debbie and Lindy, in the 1990s. Shes talking during an interview on Zoom when, through a window, she notices a vehicle pulling into her driveway. schools, an athlete at Duke can gain admission with lower -- sometimes much lower -- academic credentials than other applicants have, but his grades and test scores have to be high enough to indicate that he can cut it at one of the nation's most academically select institutions.). He had a couple of targets in mind: two talented freshmen on whose development he believed the season rested. They remembered the feeling that the detail brought, and the feeling before that, where as men we remember only the final feeling. tournament. When Krzyzewski started at West Point in the summer of 1965, one of his first tasks was to swim as far as he could in water seven feet deep while carrying a 10-pound brick. (Duke Athletics), One of Duke's first practices under K in 1980. About a month into the current basketball season, Krzyzewski's 26th at Duke, I walked into his cubbyhole of an office at Cameron Indoor Stadium, just steps away from the basketball court. "It is completely analogous to a lot of business situations. He still has an athlete's build, but he walks stiffly after a series of orthopedic surgeries: two hip replacements and an operation on his back. Or a big, meaty Caymus that will cut down the damn nets? A battle for respect, Chris Spatola says. Spatola, mostly joking but not entirely, says he told his father-in-law he would sue him if he did that or maybe call the cops. Gamecocks dominate: The womens national championship is officially heading back to Columbia, S.C., for the second time in program history after a wire-to-wire 64-49 victory by South Carolina over Connecticut. Not our rival: A Maryland fans farewell to Coach K, We gave him absolute hell, Lindy says. All those national championships. Frasher made his call, got his future father-in-laws blessing, celebrated and began planning with Lindy. The couple had just moved from Oklahoma to Durham, N.C., not far from where Jamies parents lived. Chris Trotman/Getty Images And there on Tuesday night sat Mickie Krzyzewski, trying to figure out how they got there. And maybe leadership itself is not complicated but, rather, primal: one person's ability to reach another and persuade him to be part of a team, all pulling in some common direction. Lindy says her dad is so compartmentalized that he often doesnt remember many of his on-court eruptions or the fact that he initially wanted even his grandchildren to call him Coach before Mickie and everyone else nixed that. How do you take a group of people like that and say, 'Some of you are actually better than others? That word -- relationship -- is one he uses frequently. It wasn't even a contest. The relationship between Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski began as one between teacher and student. Nobody has ever come at them like that before. Its senior leaders, J. J. Redick and Shelden Williams, are candidates for national player of the year, and they (along with other seniors) are responsible for mentoring the team's talented core of freshmen. ", Breeden acknowledges there is a marketing and fund-raising aspect to Fuqua's alliance with Krzyzewski, but says he had no qualms about having the coach's name on the leadership center, which is something like an on-campus think tank, generating courses, ideas, seminars and energy around the concept of leadership. he asked. (He plans to cut back on the number of speeches while raising his fee to $100,000.) His five national titles equal the combined total won by Roy Williams (3) and Smith (2). Coach K said a few words as their hands met; the losing coach seemed not to say much of anything at all. "Catholic high school, all boys. Jamie says the gift must come from Chris and in the pot a note from him will be waiting because, though his father-in-law may think a weeping Nootka false cypress is a weak plant for the front of a home, even he will have to admit it sends a strong message gift-wise. "I used to play basketball," Breeden says. Every night at the dinner table, my wife and girls discussed their day. Some are rare, valued in the thousands, theoretically reserved for special occasions. Love this picture; it's like they're posing for a rock-band photoshoot. (Duke Athletics), The humble Duke locker room in 1983. Look to the left and you'll moppy-haired, current ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. "I don't look at myself as a basketball coach," he says in the ad. In 1990, a year before Krzyzewski won his first national title, he invited student newspaper staffers to Cameron after an article he disliked. He will grimace, of course, and promise to plant it, right next to where the familys new puppy uses the bathroom. He listens to stories about himself like this and howls, wiping tears, sniffing the laughter away. WebMickie Krzyzewski is the wife of the NBA basketball team coach, Mike, and a philanthropist from Durham, North Carolina, and has been happily married for a whopping 52 years. It's straightforward. As a former participant at Dukes basketball camp who has known Jamie since they were teenagers, Chris has been in the Krzyzewski orbit for years. His wife has poured her considerable energy and intellect into his career. Mike Krzyzewskis last game: Coach Ks career ends with joy and agony in college basketball Armageddon. We're going to form a bond, and you're going to be part of this family. Jamie has taught high school English, co-authored two books with her father and is vice chair of the Emily K Center, a college access nonprofit for Durham students. WebMike Krzyzewski was young, unproven, inexperienced and terrified when his boss summoned him early one morning in January 1984. Ethics exemplar. He can ask for a little more than some other coaches and demand it more quickly. He gets along well with his father-in-law, but this wasnt just pasta night with the family. If youre Coach Ks son-in-law, what do you possibly buy him? Jamie enjoys these sociological black holes, along with watching people squirm as they search for their contours. (He was dressed in his Army "blues," a formal uniform he'd become eligible to wear only a few hours earlier, when he graduated as an officer.) Typically, they stay up late with their assistant coaches watching game film while eating pizza and drinking beer. Krzyzewski's toughness and his wisecracking, just-one-of-the-boys manner are certainly part of his leadership style. Krzyzewski calls his three daughters his best friends and is confident in the instincts that made him wildly successful in the four-plus decades he led Duke before announcing last year that he would retire after this season. "Before I got to West Point, I was the golden boy of my neighborhood," he says. And coaches do, of course, take lots of trips. I see you trying here, Dad, but this isn't the time. . He told stories about his Chicago roots and his mother, who despite never going beyond the eighth grade was the wisest person he has known. Before that, he graduated from the United States Military Academy, where he played basketball. ", Later, after we spoke, Krzyzewski confronted his team behind closed doors. Here he is in 2005 -- in a home game vs. UNC -- smacking the hardwood with renowned floor-slapping former Duke assistant/player Steve Wojciechowski. Hes like Division III, and Im NBA. He laughed and, somewhat to my relief, agreed. Krzyzewski is not lucky. Basketball, all boys. The book "Built to Last," by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras, suggests that companies that endure and prosper over time do not usually offer innovative products, but that "the company itself is the ultimate creation." Krzyzewski had gotten to know Chris at Dukes basketball camp, later vouching for him to former Army coach Pat Harris and recommending he play for the Black Knights. I'll say, 'There's nothing wrong with him.' As a result, many have shown curiosity to know about his family life. Frankly, Krzyzewski and his legacy will be just fine. (Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images), Krzyzewski with his wife, Mickie, and daughters Debbie, Lindy and Jamie in 1991. Knight is the most obvious influence on Krzyzewski's career and coaching methods, but by no means the most important; his wife has long been that. Mark Williams missed two crucial free throws late, followed by a Caleb Love 3-pointer that was the dagger. "It was usually more about what a player might be thinking or feeling, but if she has something to say about basketball, believe me, they listen to her. Krzyzewski, who turns 59 this month, came onstage just after his American Express commercial finished playing on a giant video screen. In addition, Duke Corporate Education, which consults to businesses, has developed a program that uses Krzyzewski's methods as a teaching tool. He wrote that you should remember how you (expletive) got your job, said one prominent friend of both men., OConnor wrote that Krzyzewski had tears in his eyes and sure did not look like a man who had just advanced to the national championship game for a third straight year. Rather than standing behind a lectern, he paced at the front of a stage. (Duke Athletics), On the recruiting trail in 1998. "He crumpled it up and said, 'When are we going to see the Mark Alarie who would do that again?' And it was a disaster, OConnor quoted Krzyzewskis former Army teammate, John Mikula, as saying. ", One definition of leadership is, simply, the ability to give constructive criticism -- to demand better performance in a way that inspires rather than deflates. Chapter 2: Building Your Team, From "Leading With The Heart: Coach K's Successful Strategies For Basketball, Business, And Life", (2000), By Mike Krzyzewski, With Donald T. Phillips. The greatest to ever do it, Krzyzewski sure adored his last group of players. In early December I watched Duke's showdown with Texas on TV, a pairing of what were then the two top-ranked teams in the nation. That jocular one-two punch of ridicule and praise is a distinctly male thing and something that most women would not attempt; Krzyzewski, a master of the form, pulled it off with aplomb. he asked his instructor. ), Charlotte Observer and Hickory (NC) Daily Record covering beats including the NFLs Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints, University of South Carolina athletics and the S.C. General Assembly. Mickie Krzyzewski was raised in Alexandria, Va., and attended a small Southern Baptist college, but left before graduating. His winning percentage was better than most. He used no notes. But it's always fun take a look at new angles. "Absolutely," Frasher says. Still, in a sport that draws heavily from a poor, inner-city population, Krzyzewski gets more than his share of kids who are the sons of white-collar professionals, teachers, nurses, coaches and pastors. Having arrived in Durham with two young daughters in March 1980, Mike and Mickie Krzyzewskis family grew to include another daughter and now 10 grandchildren during Mike Krzyzewskis 42 seasons as Dukes mens basketball coach. Mike Krzyzewski refers to himself, Mickie and their three daughters as the starting five. No more games to win. But I don't do things in the way that background probably would predict I should. He actually wanted them to think less. Yes, it is impolitic in some circles to suggest that the role of women is to civilize men. This is The N&Os special report. "I had never known someone who could be so honest and so blatantly stupid," Mickie Krzyzewski told me. Mickie was born on September 26, 1946 in Alexandria, Virginia. It's a half-day of a weeklong program and is taught primarily by Krzyzewski's student managers. Now, they have more time to focus on their philanthropy as they enjoy their downtime post-retirement. "Guys don't share insights. "', Leadership has been part of the curriculum for several decades now in most M.B.A. programs, but as an academic discipline, it remains notoriously squishy -- difficult to quantify and therefore difficult to teach. We cant afford better wine for him than he can afford for himself, Jamie says. Now the Blue Devils have to deal with those consequences of losing one of the biggest games in the sports history to their neighbors. Here is a look at Mickie Krzyzewski, the wife of Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. If the right mood hits, Coach might disappear into the kitchen to fetch a spoon, then return to serenade Mickie and everyone else by singing Smokey Robinsons Ooh Baby Baby into his silver microphone. He placed second in both beat writing and breaking news in the 2019 Associated Press Sports Editors national contest. He finally said, OK, thats the end of that,'" Krzyzewski's son in lawChris Spatola told O'Connor. Were tough-love kinds of guys; were guys in sports, so were not the most sentimental dudes to begin with, Chris says. The smart play, then, is to bring back options: three bottles that represent a range of value and quality. How has Coach K reached this point in his career, and whats next? Such companies "thoroughly indoctrinate employees into a core ideology creating cultures so strong that they are almost cultlike." He was given permission. West Point had a huge impact on me because it put me in positions to fail, so I got comfortable with failure being a part of success. Late Saturday night, Coach K knew when it was time to say goodbye. It was an important rite of passage, as it is for any young couple, something of a graduation into adulthood. All the games are over now for Coach K, his 42-year run at Duke closed down for good in the Superdome, which opened the same year (1975) that Krzyzewski started his career at Army. The coach who came calling was Bobby Knight, then the head man at the United States Military Academy at West Point. We had to add something that was valid.". On this night, for the first time, her parents were coming over for dinner. Mack, of Morgan Stanley, is one, along with Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino magnate, and Schwartz at Bear Stearns. Its Keith, the landscaper, and suddenly inspiration strikes. ("Joe Torre's Ground Rules for Winners," Rick Pitino's "Lead to Succeed," Pat Croce's "Lead or Get Off the Pot!," Donald T. Phillips's "Lincoln on Leadership.") 1 in the nation, but in several of those contests they had sputtered and prevailed only because of superior talent or, in one case, last-second heroics: a Duke player's heave from near midcourt swished through the net as time expired, giving Duke a 2-point victory over Virginia Tech. How often do we see K doing it? Notice: just 11 in uniform. ", Sim Sitkin, the faculty director of Duke's Fuqua/Coach K Center of Leadership & Ethics, is Krzyzewski's mentor at the business school and, to some extent, his student. Like Krzyzewski, Spatola played basketball at the U.S. Military Academy and later became an officer in the Army, where he learned to push back on superiors if he disagreed with them. "O.K., I beat you in the last game, or youbeat me. NEW ORLEANS Mike Krzyzewski took his seat in the back of a golf cart next to his bride of 53 years, Mickie, the flight attendant he married the day he graduated from West Point. Barry Svrluga: Coach Ks greatness was never his system. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. 1,000 being right around the corner for Mike Krzyzewski, we wanted to look back at the man through the perspective of some little-seen photos. It wasn't even about me liking the plant! Michael Sokolove is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. (Duke Athletics), K and current Temple coach Fran Dunphy in 1971, in Greece. That may sound trite or unimportant, and Redick's comments are of the type that could easily fire the imaginations of anti-Duke partisans who already like to taunt Duke players as soft preppie types. What the manifesto demonstrates, mainly, is how satisfying it can be to hate success and, even more so, to hate success linked to virtue. Attracting top talent to Durham was not the slam dunk it is now. ), his job was even rumored to be in danger. Long after they have given up their dreams of being sports stars, they can still hope to be what he is: the executive at the top of his game. (Duke Athletics), This is from Mike Krzyzewski's first press conference in 1980, on March 18. He looked tired and a little drawn, but his audience was, if anything, more rapt than usual because they knew that just weeks earlier he had done something extraordinary: turned down a $40 million offer to coach the N.B.A. 's Los Angeles Lakers. It was clear-cut. And not simply good in an Al Davis "Just win, baby" kind of way. This year's team is a case in point. But as Krzyzewski took the reins at Duke and became a rising star in the coaching ranks, the tone gradually shifted. So it was a relief later when a Wake Forest classmate named Steve Frasher admitted he had no idea who her father was. Whose decision was this? asked Krzyzewski, Dukes legendary mens basketball coach and Chris Spatolas father-in-law. This kind of thing has happened hundreds of times over the years.". Krzyzewski is at far left. Chris also knew Krzyzewski was right about one thing: The Weeper, as the coach nicknamed it over the following years, wasnt just a plant. Michael Jordan was part of that team, and one day after practice he asked Krzyzewski to help him work on some offensive moves. He was every father-in-law ever. And Jamies dad is a noted perfectionist and alpha who usually gets his way. The couple got married in 1969, tying the knot at a small Catholic chapel in West Point, New York on the day of his graduation. 6-keys: media/spln/collegebasketball/reg/free/stories, at So Krzyzewski sends his sons-in-law into his massive wine cellar to select another bottle or two. Spending more time with his grandchildren. On the Carolina bench, assistant Roy Williams initially thought an ACC rookie shouldnt treat a legend like that before he pivoted on further review. In his mind, the other academies largely teach technical skills -- how to fly a fighter jet or sail an aircraft carrier -- but West Point, more than the others, teaches officers how to bond units together and lead them into battle. All of his children has followed in his footsteps and attended Duke, undoubtedly making their father proud. Its also a metaphor for a healthy father-in-law and son-in-law relationship: that the father-in-law is there, you know hes watching, you know hes still looking out, but ultimately hes not going to pull up your Weeper.. 2004-2023 CBS Interactive. Krzyzewski's teams turn a yearly profit for Duke. A coach has just a few moments each season to galvanize a team and lift it to a higher plateau, and Krzyzewski knew that this afternoon was one of them. "In our business and his business, people like being stars," says John Mack, the C.E.O. He is not planning to leave coaching any time soon -- "Why would you quit something you absolutely love?" Not in a workplace, in a family or on a basketball team. But starting with his first year at Duke, Krzyzewski's wife has accompanied him to the vast majority of away games. Chris already spoke two of Krzyzewskis languages: those of basketball and West Point. Their tentativeness was making a mess of Duke's usually fast and fluid motion offense. He issued a rant decorated with profanity, according to a subsequent New York Times story, and scatological and anatomical references.. I partied, and it caught up to me. You're talking about issues of the heart, and yet somehow that's likened to a man-to-man or zone defense. Daughters Debbie and Lindy were born prior to Coach K coming to Duke while their "I mathematically modeled problems in finance. Their husbands had to adjust on the fly. 0:51 The relationship between Bob Knight and Mike Krzyzewski began as one between teacher and student. She rolled her eyes sometimes, but she also understood her dad. But her dad, Mike Krzyzewski, who was cradling two bottles of fine Napa Valley wine, seemed transfixed by this thing next to the walkway. A winning sports team might be inspired by a fire breather like Vince Lombardi, or a fatherly presence like Joe Torre, or a diffident intellectual type like Bill Belichick. The announcers praised Redick's deadeye shooting but seemed most impressed by his energy. A very fine, very weepy Weeper, she says. I have never cheered for Duke harder.. Krzyzewski's early teams at Duke struggled. (USATSI). What are we going to bring, something that we picked up at Harris Teeter?. All rights reserved. So, in this article, lets learn about Mike Krzyzewskis wife, Mickie Krzyzewski, and their love life. Jamie and Chris walked outside to greet them. Beyond Krzyzewskis professional stature, Chris had to negotiate anxieties common for any son-in-law. ", At Duke, Krzyzewski is able to attract golden boys like himself -- only they are much better athletes, drawn from the top sliver of available high school basketball talent. They speculated that he might be the best-conditioned player in all of college basketball. But he says of Krzyzewski: "I'll be honest with you, I was kind of surprised at how smart I felt like he is. The last ride for The Goat. Because Krzyzewski announced his retirement, ticket prices have skyrocketed since this will mark the last leg of Coach Ks regular season farewell tour before the NCAA Tournament later this month. I turned down $40 million. Scheyer has a young daughter, too, and Krzyzewski seems to feel a tinge of envy that his understudy has so many experiences ahead. Somehow the analogy always came back to basketball, Lindy says. When it was over and this 81-77 North Carolina victory was frozen in forevers lights, I asked the 75-year-old grandfather of 10 if that Michigan State rally that started it all would be his enduring tournament memory after the pain subsides. It was a nightmare, she recalls.