James Allen Dickey is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 college basketball

College basketball

College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....

 coach and the current head basketball coach at the University of Houston

University of Houston

The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...

. He previously served as the head men's coach at Texas Tech

Texas Tech Red Raiders men's basketball

The Texas Tech Red Raiders basketball team represents Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition The team is currently coached by Billy Gillispie. Prior to Gillispie being named coach, the coach was Pat Knight who succeeded his father, Hall of Famer Bob...

 from 1991 to 2001, where he led the Red Raiders to the NCAA Tournament

NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship

The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...

 in 1993

1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1993, and ended with the championship game on April 5 in New Orleans, Louisiana...

 and again in 1996

1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The 1996 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 64 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 14, 1996, and ended with the championship game on April 1 at Continental Airlines Arena in...

.

Early years

Dickey was born on April 2, 1954. He attended Valley Springs High School

Valley Springs High School

Valley Springs High School is a secondary school in Valley Springs, Arkansas. It is located at 1 School St, Valley Springs, AR. The school is part of the Valley Springs School District. The current principal is Ronnie Ruff.- History :...

, where he played basketball from 1970–1972. He later played for Central Arkansas

University of Central Arkansas

The University of Central Arkansas is a state-run institution located in the city of Conway, the seat of Faulkner County, north of Little Rock and is the fourth largest university by enrollment in the U.S. state of Arkansas, and the third largest college system in the state. The school is most...

 from 1972–1976.

Coaching career

Dickey's best team was the Texas Tech's 1996 unit, which finished 30–2, including an undefeated record in the final season of Southwest Conference play. They won the SWC conference tournament and advanced all the way to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

The Raiders moved to the Big 12

Big 12 Conference

The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference of ten schools located in the Central United States, with its headquarters located in Las Colinas, a community in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Irving...

 for the 1996–97 season, and appeared to pick up right where they left off with a solid 19–9 season. It was discovered during the inaugural Big 12 basketball tournament

Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament

The Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament is the championship men's basketball tournament in the Big 12 Conference. It is a single-elimination tournament of four rounds, with the top four seeds getting byes in the first round...

, however, that two players were academically ineligible. Hours after the team's first-round game, Texas Tech announced that it was withdrawing from postseason consideration and forfeiting its entire conference schedule. The Raiders had lost that game, and would have had to forfeit it if they had won.

A subsequent investigation revealed massive violations dating back to 1990 in men's basketball and nine other sports (though Dickey himself was not personally implicated). As a result, the NCAA stripped Tech of its two NCAA tournament wins in 1996 and docked it nine scholarships over four years. The lost scholarships were too much for Dickey to overcome, and he tallied four straight losing seasons before being fired in 2001.

He was announced as the head coach of the Houston Cougars

Houston Cougars

Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was created by early physical education instructor of the university and former head football...

 on April 1, 2010.

College

*Texas Tech vacated its 1996 NCAA tournament appearance due to ineligible players; official record is 28-1.

&Texas Tech forfeited its entire 1996-97 conference slate due to ineligible players, but Dickey was ruled not to have been affected.

$Official record at Texas Tech is 164-123 without vacated games.