During 40 seasons as a basketball coach on the collegiate level, Leonard Hamilton has established quite a legacy of success. He is known nationwide as a builder of programs.
As a head coach, Leonard has earned three National Coach of the Year awards, two Atlantic Coach Conference Coach of the Year awards, and two Big East Coach of the Year awards. He has coached in seven NCAA Tournaments and has accumulated eight 20 win seasons. Next season, he will top 400 career wins overall and 200 career wins at Florida State.
2012 was his signature season in Tallahassee. Florida State posted a 25-10 overall record, a 12-4 ACC mark and won the ACC Title by knocking off both Duke and North Carolina in the conference tournament.
Before joining the Seminoles in the spring of 2002, Leonard coached 4 years at Oklahoma State, 10 years at Miami FL and was Washington Wizards’ head coach in 2001.
Prior to becoming a head coach, Leonard was regarded as one of the premier recruiters in the country. He spent 12 seasons on the Kentucky staff after beginning his coaching career with three successful seasons in Clarksville at Austin Peay State University.
Leonard Hamilton played at Gaston Community College in North Carolina where he set a school record by scoring 54 points in a game. After Gaston, Leonard moved on to The University of Tennessee at Martin where he was the first African American athlete on the basketball team and became a charter member of the school’s Hall of Fame. At both schools, he served as a team captain. At UT Martin, Hamilton received both the team’s Most Valuable Player Award and the Best Defensive Player award his senior season. In addition, he still holds the record for most assists in a career.
Hamilton earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from The University of Tennessee at Martin in 1971 and received a master’s degree in physical and health education from Austin Peay State in 1973. Hamilton is married to his college sweetheart, Claudette. They are the proud parents of a daughter, Allison Janae Hamilton and a son, Lenny.