Steve Alford
University of Nevada
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Nevada Wolf Pack Head Men's Basketball Coach Steve Alford announced Thursday that he will retire at the conclusion of the 2026-27 season, closing out a head coaching career that spans 36 seasons and includes stops at six different NCAA programs. Alford, who enters his eighth season leading the Wolf Pack, carries a career head coaching record of 724-386.

"After 36 years, I feel like this is the right time to step away from the bench," Alford said. "Tanya and I have loved our time in Reno, and have embraced this amazing community and built lifelong friendships. I want to thank the University of Nevada for the opportunity to lead this program, and I am looking forward to finishing this season the right way, with a team I believe in. God has richly blessed our family in so many ways through basketball and we are very grateful. I'm excited to see God's direction in the next chapter."

Alford's 724 career wins rank 10th among all active Division I coaches. He also ranks third all-time and second among active coaches in career Mountain West victories, with 143. He is one of only two coaches in NCAA history (the other being Rick Pitino) to lead six different programs to the NCAA Tournament (Manchester College, Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State), Iowa, New Mexico, UCLA and Nevada). Alford has made 16 combined NCAA Tournament appearances across his career, 13 at the Division I level and three at the Division III level, including three Sweet 16 appearances in five full seasons at UCLA.

Over seven full seasons at the Wolf Pack helm through 2025-26, Alford has won 137 games to date, an average of 20 per season, and has guided the program to five postseason invitations, including two NCAA Tournament appearances (2022-23 and 2023-24) and an NIT Quarterfinal berth in 2025-26. The team was also invited to the NIT in 2020 (canceled due to COVID) and 2025 (declined invitation). The 2023-24 team returned Nevada to the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2019 and finished tied for second in a Mountain West that earned a record six NCAA Tournament bids. Under Alford, 12 Wolf Pack players have earned All-Mountain West honors, including three Mountain West Newcomers of the Year, the program's first Mountain West Freshman of the Year and a Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year.

Before arriving at Nevada in 2019, Alford spent six seasons at UCLA (2013-18), posting a 124-63 record with four NCAA Tournament appearances in five years, including three Sweet 16 runs, and coaching 11 NBA Draft picks, seven of them first-round selections. He spent six seasons at New Mexico (2007-13), winning four Mountain West regular-season titles and two conference tournament championships and earning three Mountain West Coach of the Year awards. Alford began his Division I head coaching career at Southwest Missouri State (1995-99) where he guided the Bears to the Sweet 16, and Iowa (1999-2007) where he won two Big 10 Tournament titles. Alford became a head coach at Manchester College (1991-95), where he was named conference coach of the year three times and led the Spartans to the 1995 NCAA Division III championship game.

(University of Nevada) 

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