- Digger Phelps
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Richard Phelps 
Phelps on ESPN's College Gameday broadcast. Sport(s) Basketball Current position Title Head Coach (retired) Biographical details Born July 4, 1941 Place of birth Beacon, New York, USA Playing career 1960–1963 Rider College Coaching career (HC unless noted) 1966–1969
1970-1971
1971–1991Pennsylvania (asst.)
Fordham
Notre DameHead coaching record Overall 419–200 Richard "Digger" Phelps (born July 4, 1941) is a former American college basketball coach, most notably of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team from 1971 to 1991. Since 1993, he has served as an analyst on ESPN.
Contents
Career
Phelps began his coaching career in 1963 as a graduate assistant at Rider College (now Rider University), where he had played basketball. After a move to St. Gabriel's High School in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, he obtained his first full assistant job in 1966 at the University of Pennsylvania. His first head coaching job came in 1970 at Fordham University. After leading the Fordham Rams to a 26-3 record in the 1970-71 season, he was named head coach at the University of Notre Dame.
During his 20 seasons at Notre Dame (1971–91), his teams went 393-197, with 14 seasons of 20 wins or more. In 1978, Notre Dame made its only Final Four to date. His most-remembered game was on January 19, 1974, when the Fighting Irish scored the last 12 points of the game to defeat top-ranked UCLA 71-70, ending the Bruins' record 88-game winning streak. He shares the NCAA record for most upsets over a #1 team at seven (Gary Williams also has 7).
Date Opponent Score January 19, 1974 UCLA 71-70 March 5, 1977 San Francisco 93-82 February 26, 1978 Marquette 65-59 February 27, 1980 DePaul 76-74 (2ot) December 27, 1980 Kentucky 67-61 February 22, 1981 Virginia (UVA) 57-56 February 1, 1987 North Carolina (UNC) 60-58 After Notre Dame
After retiring from Notre Dame he briefly worked for the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the administration of George H.W. Bush and also served as an observer in the 1993 elections in Cambodia. Also in 1993, he began a broadcasting career. Starting in that year, he announced color commentary for that year's NCAA tournament for CBS. He joined ESPN the next season.
Phelps also is a great fan of opera. The well-rounded former coach made a cameo appearance in the Notre Dame student opera performance of Offenbach's "Orpheus in the Underworld". Phelps played the part of Bacchus, the God of Wine, in two performances in April 2006.
Phelps also released his memoirs in 2007, entitled "Undertaker's Son: Life Lessons from a Coach." Phelps co-wrote the book with Jack Colwell, and the book details Phelps' upbringing, professional success, life principles and even lists his "Top 20" songs of all-time.
Personal
Phelps resides in South Bend and has three adult children. His eldest, Karen, is married to baseball pitcher Jamie Moyer.
Phelps is a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Rider College.[1]
He is called "Bigger Digger" by Bob Knight.
While some analysts on ESPN panels pair their neckties with a matching pocket handkerchief, Phelps accessorizes his flamboyant attire by ridiculously matching his neckties with a like colored highlighter.
Phelps was instrumental in the restoration of various programs at John McDonogh High School in New Orleans post-Katrina. His gifts helped to restore the sports program and helped to launch a four-year Culinary Academy in partnership with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation and the Recovery School District on December 15, 2010.
Phelps was inspirational for New Jersey indie rockers Digger Phelps who named their band for the famous coach in 1997.
Head coaching record
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason Fordham Rams (Independent) (1970–1971) 1970–1971 Fordham 26–3 NCAA Sweet 16/NCAA East 3rd Place Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Independent) (1971–1991) 1971–1972 Notre Dame 6–20 1972–1973 Notre Dame 18–12 NIT Runner Up 1973–1974 Notre Dame 26–3 NCAA Sweet 16/NCAA Midwest 3rd Place 1974–1975 Notre Dame 19–10 NCAA Sweet 16 1975–1976 Notre Dame 23–6 NCAA Sweet 16 1976–1977 Notre Dame 22–7 NCAA 1st Round 1977–1978 Notre Dame 23–8 NCAA Final Four 1978–1979 Notre Dame 24–6 NCAA Eilte 8 1979–1980 Notre Dame 22–6 NCAA 2nd Round 1980–1981 Notre Dame 23–6 NCAA Sweet 16 1981–1982 Notre Dame 10–17 1982–1983 Notre Dame 19–10 NIT 1st Round 1983–1984 Notre Dame 21–12 NIT Runner Up 1984–1985 Notre Dame 21–9 NCAA 2nd Round 1985–1986 Notre Dame 23–6 NCAA 1st Round 1986–1987 Notre Dame 24–8 NCAA Sweet 16 1987–1988 Notre Dame 20–9 NCAA 1st Round 1988–1989 Notre Dame 21–7 NCAA 2nd Round 1989–1990 Notre Dame 16–13 NCAA 1st Round 1990–1991 Notre Dame 12–20 Notre Dame: 393–195 Total: 419–198 National Champion Conference Regular Season Champion Conference Tournament Champion
Conference Regular Season & Conference Tournament Champion Conference Division ChampionReferences
External links
Fordham Rams men's basketball head coaches Mr. Mellyn (1902–1903) • John McLaughlin (1903–1904) • Harry Fisher (1904–1905) • Loren Black (1905–1906) • Frank O'Donnell (1906–1907) • Chris Mahoney (1907–1909) • Unknown (1909–1911) • Clement Risacher (1911–1914) • Alcott Neary (1914–1915) • Unknown (1915–1918) • Edward Siskind (1918–1919) • Arthur Devlin (1919–1920) • Orson Kinney (1920–1921) • Eli Butler (1921–1922) • Bud Colloton & Ed Kelleher (1922–1923) • Ed Kelleher (1923–1934) • Vincent Cavanaugh (1934–1938) • Ed Kelleher (1938–1943) • No team (1943–1944) • Frank Adams (1944–1950) • Johnny Bach (1950–1968) • Ed Conlin (1968–1970) • Digger Phelps (1970–1971) • Hal Wissel (1971–1976) • Dick Stewart (1976–1978) • Tom Penders (1978–1986) • Bob Quinn (1986–1987) • Nick Macarchuk (1987–1999) • Bob Hill (1999–2003) • Dereck Whittenburg (2003–2009) • Jared Grasso # (2009–2010) • Tom Pecora (2010– )
Pound sign (#) denotes interim head coach.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball head coaches Frank E. Hering (1898) • J. Fred Powers (1899) • No team (1899–1907) • Bertram Maris (1907–1912) • Bill Nelson (1912–1913) • Jesse Harper (1913–1918) • Gus Dorais (1918–1920) • Walter Halas (1920–1923) • George Keogan (1923–1943) • Moose Krause (1943–1944) • Clem Crowe (1944–1945) • Elmer Ripley (1945–1946) • Moose Krause (1946–1951) • John Jordan (1951–1964) • John Dee (1964–1971) • Digger Phelps (1971–1991) • John MacLeod (1991–1999) • Matt Doherty (1999–2000) • Mike Brey (2000–)
College GameDay Studio Game Site Former UPI College Basketball Coach of the Year Award winners 1955: Woolpert | 1956: Woolpert | 1957: F. McGuire | 1958: Winter | 1959: Rupp | 1960: Newell | 1961: Taylor | 1962: Taylor | 1963: Jucker | 1964: Wooden | 1965: Strack | 1966: Rupp | 1967: Wooden | 1968: Lewis | 1969: Wooden | 1970: Wooden | 1971: A. McGuire | 1972: Wooden | 1973: Wooden | 1974: Phelps | 1975: Knight | 1976: Young | 1977: Gaillard | 1978: Sutton | 1979: Hodges | 1980: Meyer | 1981: Miller | 1982: Stewart | 1983: Tarkanian | 1984: Meyer | 1985: Carnesecca | 1986: Krzyzewski | 1987: Thompson | 1988: Chaney | 1989: Knight | 1990: Calhoun | 1991: Majerus | 1992: Clark | 1993: Fogler | 1994: Stewart | 1995: Hamilton | 1996: Keady
Categories:- 1941 births
- Living people
- American basketball coaches
- American basketball players
- College basketball announcers in the United States
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Fordham Rams men's basketball coaches
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball coaches
- Penn Quakers men's basketball coaches
- Rider Broncs men's basketball players
- People from Beacon, New York
- Basketball players from New York
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