Steve Alford is preparing to coach his final college basketball season.
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The Nevada coach announced that he will retire following the 2026-27 campaign, ending a 36-year career that has included more than 700 victories and stops at six schools.
"After 36 years, I feel like this is the right time to step away from the bench," Alford said in a statement, via the Associated Press.
Alford, 61, is entering his eighth season with the Wolf Pack. He has compiled a 137-88 record at Nevada and led the program to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024.
His career record stands at 724-386.
Alford began coaching at Manchester College in 1991 and guided the school to the 1995 Division III national championship game. He later coached at Missouri State, Iowa, New Mexico and UCLA before taking over at Nevada.
He won four Mountain West regular-season championships at New Mexico and reached three Sweet 16s with UCLA.
Before becoming a coach, Alford established himself as one of the greatest players in Indiana history.
The former Indiana Mr. Basketball starred for Bob Knight and helped the United States win gold at the 1984 Olympics alongside Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin.
Alford later led the Hoosiers to the 1987 national championship. He scored 23 points and made seven 3-pointers in Indiana's title-game victory over Syracuse.
A two-time first-team All-American, Alford finished his college career with 2,438 points, then an Indiana record.
He played four NBA seasons before beginning his coaching career at age 26. Alford intends to finish that career next spring after one final run with Nevada.
