Steve Alford

Steve Alford (born November 23, 1964) is the current head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeye men's basketball team. Alford, a former college basketball star and NBAer, was born in Franklin, Indiana and he grew up in New Castle, Indiana.

Playing Career

Alford played basketball at the high school level for his father, who was coach at the Chrysler High School in New Castle. As a high school senior, he average 37.7 points per game, which led to his being named Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1983.

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Alford attended Indiana University. During his time there, he played basketball under head coach Bobby Knight and became the university's all time leading scorer with 2,438 points. Alford was the first player to be named the team's MVP four times. He was also a first team all American, and was named Big Ten MVP during his senior year of college. In the Legends of College Basketball by The Sporting News Alford was no. 35 on the list of the 100 greatest Division One college basketball players.

Related Topics:
Indiana University - Bobby Knight

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During his final three seasons Alford earned first team all-Big Ten honors. He earned all-America honors as a junior. As a sophomore Alford was named to the NIT all-tourney team after the Hoosiers finished second to UCLA. Alford's free throw percentage of .897 (535-596) is fourth best in the history of the NCAA, and as a freshman he led the nation in free throw percentage.

Related Topics:
Big Ten - UCLA - NCAA

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For the 1984 Olympics Alford was selected to play on the U.S. Basketball Team, coached by Bobby Knight. Alford averaged 10.3 points per game, was second in assists, and shot .644 from the field. He and his teammates went on to win the gold medal at the 1984 games. In this game Alford played alongside men such as Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, Chris Mullin and Wayman Tisdale. Alford has recounted that during the Olympic training camp, Jordan bet him $100 that he would not last four years on Knight's Indiana team.

Related Topics:
1984 - Olympics - Michael Jordan - Patrick Ewing - Sam Perkins - Chris Mullin - Wayman Tisdale

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Following college, Alford played for four years at the professional level. During his time in the NBA, he played for the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors. He scored 744 points, had 176 assists, and shot free throws with an accuracy of 87 percent.

Related Topics:
Dallas Mavericks - Golden State Warriors

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Alford co-wrote a book, Playing for Knight -- My Six Seasons with Coach Knight, about his college and Olympic basketball experiences.

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