The players put together the fun-to-watch plays and big-time stats, but without a good coach, any team will fail. Arizona’s athletic program has some of the nation’s finest coaches, and you will become familiar with their names.
Mike Candrea
One of the greatest coaches in the history of softball, Candrea was two wins away from winning yet another national championship in a runner-up finish in the national championship series loss to UCLA in 2010. Candrea has won eight national championships and has more than 1,100 wins as a coach.
Mike Stoops
Stoops enters his seventh season with high expectations after the Arizona football team finished in second place in the Pacific 10 Conference in 2009 for the first time in 11 seasons. After being on the hot seat in his first few years, Stoops has brought consistency to the football program with two straight bowl appearances in 2008 and 2009. The head coach hopes to win his first Pac-10 championship and lead Arizona to its first Rose Bowl.
Sean Miller
After 25 years under legendary head coach Lute Olson, the Arizona basketball program had a new face for a new era last season. Head coach Sean Miller posted a 16-15 record in his first season, but with the start of the new era came the end of Arizona’s 25-year NCAA tournament streak. Miller enters his second season on more stable ground, and hopes to start a new streak, as the pressure will be greater.
Frank Busch
Arizona swim coach Frank Busch has been known as a great coach over the years, but he was also known to have great teams and no championships. In 2008, all that changed when both his women and men’s teams broke through to win national championships.
Andy Lopez
Arizona baseball head coach Andy Lopez reached 1,000 wins at the end of last season, and coached a young team to the College World Series Regional before being eliminated by Baylor University. Lopez has had success everywhere he’s been, being one of three coaches to lead three different schools to the College World Series: Pepperdine, Florida and Arizona.
