The following is a list of Louisville Cardinals men's basketball head coaches. There have been 23 head coaches of the Cardinals in their 110-season history.[1]
Louisville's current head coach is Pat Kelsey. He was hired as the Cardinals' head coach in March 2024,[2] replacing Kenny Payne, who was fired two weeks prior.[3]
| No. | Tenure | Coach | Years | Record | Pct. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1911–1912 | William Gardiner | 1 | 0–3 | .000 |
| – | 1912–1915 | No coach | 3 | 8–14 | .364 |
| 2 | 1915–1918[a][b] | Ed Bowman | 3 | 11–7 | .611 |
| 3 | 1918–1919 | Earl Ford | 1 | 7–4 | .636 |
| 4 | 1919–1920 | Tuley Brucker | 1 | 6–5 | .545 |
| 5 | 1920–1921 | Jimmie Powers | 1 | 3–8 | .273 |
| 6 | 1921–1922 | John O'Rourke | 1 | 1–13 | .071 |
| 7 | 1923–1925 | Fred Enke | 2 | 14–20 | .412 |
| 8 | 1925–1930 | Tom King | 5 | 44–31 | .587 |
| 9 | 1930–1932 | Edward Weber | 2 | 20–18 | .526 |
| 10 | 1932–1936 | C. V. Money | 4 | 46–40 | .535 |
| 11 | 1936–1940 | Laurie Apitz | 4 | 10–52 | .161 |
| 12 | 1940–1942 | John Heldman | 2 | 9–24 | .273 |
| 13 | 1943–1944 | Harold Church and Walter Casey | 1 | 10–10 | .500 |
| 14 | 1944–1967 | Bernard Hickman | 23 | 443–183 | .708 |
| 15 | 1967–1971[c] | John Dromo | 4 | 68–23 | .747 |
| 16 | 1971* | Howard Stacey | 1 | 12–8 | .600 |
| 17 | 1971–2001 | Denny Crum | 30 | 675–295 | .696 |
| 18 | 2001–2017[d][e] | Rick Pitino | 16 | 293–140 | .677 |
| 19 | 2017–2018* | David Padgett | 1 | 22–14 | .611 |
| 20 | 2018–2022[f][g] | Chris Mack | 4 | 63–36 | .636 |
| 21 | 2021*[h] 2022* |
Mike Pegues | 1 | 7–11 | .389 |
| 22 | 2022–2024 | Kenny Payne | 2 | 12–52 | .188 |
| 23 | 2024–present | Pat Kelsey | – | – | |
| Totals | 23 coaches | 110 seasons | 1,784–1,011 | .638 | |
| Records updated through end of 2023–24 season * - Denotes interim head coach. Source[1] | |||||
- ^ Louisville did not field a team for the 1916–17 season.
- ^ Bowman coached the first game of the 1918–19 season, a loss, before turning head coaching duties over to Earl Ford.
- ^ Dromo suffered a heart attack after a game on January 2, 1971. Howard Stacey was named interim head coach for the remainder of the 1970–71 season.[4]
- ^ Louisville vacated 126 games from 2011 through 2015. Pitino's on-court record is 416–143 (.744).
- ^ Pitino was placed on administrative leave in September 2017. David Padgett served as interim head coach for the 2017–18 season.[5]
- ^ Mack was suspended for the first six games of the 2021–22 season. Mike Pegues served as interim head coach for these six games.[6]
- ^ Mack was fired in January 2022. Mike Pegues served as interim head coach for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.[7]
- ^ Pegues served as interim head coach for two separate, non-consecutive periods during the 2021–22 season.
- ^ a b "2022-23 Louisville Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Louisville Athletics. pp. 162–163. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Sources: Louisville, Pat Kelsey reach 5-year contract". ESPN.com. March 27, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "Louisville fires men's hoops coach Kenny Payne, starts search". ESPN.com. March 13, 2024. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
- ^ "John Dromo Basketball Coach, 76". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 2, 1992. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Medcalf, Myron (September 29, 2017). "David Padgett to take on acting head-coaching duties for Cardinals". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Louisville head coach Chris Mack returns after 6-game suspension". WDRB. November 29, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ Borzello, Jeff (January 26, 2022). "Chris Mack out as Louisville Cardinals men's basketball coach". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.