Mark Gottfried
Encyclopedia
Mark Frederick Gottfried (born January 20, 1964) is an American
men's college basketball
coach
and former player. He was named head coach of NC State
on April 5, 2011.
Gottfried played one season at Oral Roberts
and three seasons at Alabama
, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen
in each of his seasons with the Crimson Tide. He spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at UCLA
, including the team's 1995 NCAA championship season, three years as head coach at Murray State
, and eleven years as head coach at Alabama
.
Gottfried is currently an honorary board of trustees member of the Athletes in Action
sports ministry.
. He played varsity basketball at Carterville High School in Carterville, Illinois
and Carbondale High School in Carbondale, Illinois
. He then played for UMS Prep (now known as UMS-Wright Preparatory School
) in Mobile, Alabama
during his senior year, averaging 21.6 ppg/11.2 rpg before graduating in 1982. As a student, he was selected to the National Honor Society
. Gottfried was inducted into UMS-Wright's Hall of Fame and in 2004 was the UMS Alumnus of the
.
on a basketball scholarship. After playing there for one season, where he was a Freshman All-American, he transferred to Alabama. There, he started 98 consecutive games, and Alabama advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in all three seasons he played. He holds the school records for most 3-point shots made in a single game with eight in a 1987 game against Vanderbilt
, and for career 3-point field goal percentage (.485, 81–167). Gottfried graduated with a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences in Communication
s from the University of Alabama in 1987, after winning both the school's Hayden Riley Top Scholar Award and the Bryant Award as the school's top scholar-athlete during his senior year. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons
in the seventh round of the 1987 NBA Draft
, though he never played professionally. Instead, he spent three years touring with Athletes in Action, then attended UCLA
graduate school for two years.
. Also members of the staff were current St. John's (and former UCLA) head coach Steve Lavin
and current Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar
. The Bruins were the 1995 NCAA champions with Gottfried as an assistant coach and recruiter. The Bruins were ranked 1st nationally for their recruiting class in 1994 and produced future NBA
players Ed O'Bannon
, George Zidek
, Tyus Edney
, Don MacLean
, Tracy Murray
, Trevor Wilson
, Darrick Martin
and Mitchell Butler
.
He has faced his former school twice as head coach at Alabama, losing 79–57 in the 2001 John Wooden
Classic and losing 62–59 in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Championships in each of his seasons as head coach, becoming the first head coach to win three OVC titles in only three seasons. In his last season, the Racers finished 25th in the final AP Poll—the last time to date an OVC team has appeared in a final major basketball poll.
shortly before conference play. During the end of the following season, his team upset top-ranked and top-seeded Stanford
in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The squad then defeated reigning national champion Syracuse
to advance to the Elite Eight
, achieving another program first. The Tide ultimately lost to eventual national champion UConn
. For his efforts he was named SEC
coach of the year by the AP
and his fellow coaches. The next season, Alabama entered the NCAA tournament as a fifth seed before suffering a first-round loss to UW–Milwaukee.
Since then, his tenure at Alabama was marked by key player injuries and disappointment. Alabama posted back-to-back losing seasons in the SEC in 2006–07 and 2007–08. The 2007–08 season marked the first time in nine years (only the second time under Gottfried) that Alabama did not reach either the NIT or NCAA post-season tournament, although the Tide did receive an invitation to the first annual College Basketball Invitational
, which it did not accept.
On January 26, 2009, following the controversial departure of player Ronald Steele and a meeting with Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore
, Gottfried resigned mid-season as basketball coach at the University of Alabama.
and basketball and is attending Stanford University to play football. His only daughter, Mary Layson, was a star on the Gulf Shores High School Volleyball team and also played tennis. She graduated in 2011 and now attends NC State University. His father, Joe Gottfried, was also a basketball coach and recently retired as Director of Athletics at the University of South Alabama
. His uncle, Mike Gottfried
, was a college football head coach and is now an analyst on ESPN
college football broadcasts. Both served as head coaches of their respective programs at Murray State.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
men's college basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
and former player. He was named head coach of NC State
NC State Wolfpack men's basketball
The NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Wolfpack currently competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference, of which it was a founding member....
on April 5, 2011.
Gottfried played one season at Oral Roberts
Oral Roberts Golden Eagles men's basketball
The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles Basketball team is the basketball team that represent Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The school's team currently competes in The Summit League. The team earned an automatic berth in the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. It was their third...
and three seasons at Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference . It trails only Kentucky in basketball wins, SEC tournament titles, and SEC regular season titles in the 12-member conference. The team is coached by head coach Anthony Grant,...
, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen
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 each of his seasons with the Crimson Tide. He spent eight seasons as an assistant coach at UCLA
UCLA Bruins men's basketball
The UCLA Bruins men's basketball program, established in 1920, owns a record 11 Division I NCAA championships. UCLA teams coached by John Wooden won 10 national titles in 12 seasons from 1964 to 1975, including 7 straight from 1967 to 1973. UCLA went undefeated a record 4 times, in 1964, 1967,...
, including the team's 1995 NCAA championship season, three years as head coach at Murray State
Murray State Racers men's basketball
Murray State Racers men's basketball program represents intercollegiate men's basketball at Murray State University. The school competes in the Ohio Valley Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and play home games at the CFSB Center in Murray, Kentucky. Steve...
, and eleven years as head coach at Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball
The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference . It trails only Kentucky in basketball wins, SEC tournament titles, and SEC regular season titles in the 12-member conference. The team is coached by head coach Anthony Grant,...
.
Gottfried is currently an honorary board of trustees member of the Athletes in Action
Athletes in Action
Athletes in Action is an evangelical Christian sports ministry in the tradition of Muscular Christianity. Athletes in Action, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, works with athletes and coaches to use the unique platform of sport to help people around the world with questions of faith...
sports ministry.
Early years
Gottfried was born in Crestline, OhioCrestline, Ohio
While the Census Bureau recognizes Crestline as a village, its 2000 population of 5,088 makes it a city under Ohio law.Crestline operates under a mayor-council system, with a council of eight members...
. He played varsity basketball at Carterville High School in Carterville, Illinois
Carterville, Illinois
Carterville is a city in Williamson County, Illinois, in the United States, and is geographically situated between Carbondale, Illinois and Marion, Illinois. The city is located next to Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge's of land and water contain a wide diversity of flora and...
and Carbondale High School in Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale, Illinois
Carbondale is a city in Jackson County, in the state of Illinois, within the Southern Illinois region. It is located at the junction of Illinois Route 13 and U.S. Route 51, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri, on the northern edge of the Shawnee National Forest...
. He then played for UMS Prep (now known as UMS-Wright Preparatory School
UMS-Wright Preparatory School
- History :The UMS-Wright Preparatory School has its foundation in the life of one man—Julius Tutwiler Wright. His goal was an education for the whole person-mental, moral, and physical-intensively tailored to the needs of the individual student. His goal remains central today to the educational...
) in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
during his senior year, averaging 21.6 ppg/11.2 rpg before graduating in 1982. As a student, he was selected to the National Honor Society
National Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
. Gottfried was inducted into UMS-Wright's Hall of Fame and in 2004 was the UMS Alumnus of the
.
College career
Gottfried attended Oral RobertsOral Roberts University
Oral Roberts University , based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in the United States, is an interdenominational, Charismatic Christian, comprehensive university with an enrollment of about 3,790 students from 49 U.S. states along with a significant number of international students from 70 countries...
on a basketball scholarship. After playing there for one season, where he was a Freshman All-American, he transferred to Alabama. There, he started 98 consecutive games, and Alabama advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in all three seasons he played. He holds the school records for most 3-point shots made in a single game with eight in a 1987 game against Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, and for career 3-point field goal percentage (.485, 81–167). Gottfried graduated with a Bachelor of Arts & Sciences in Communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
s from the University of Alabama in 1987, after winning both the school's Hayden Riley Top Scholar Award and the Bryant Award as the school's top scholar-athlete during his senior year. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
in the seventh round of the 1987 NBA Draft
1987 NBA Draft
The 1987 Draft of the National Basketball Association was held on June 22, 1987 in New York City, New York.This draft is notable for the selection of two future members of the NBA 50 Greatest Players list, David Robinson and Scottie Pippen. Other notable selections include Reggie Miller, Kevin...
, though he never played professionally. Instead, he spent three years touring with Athletes in Action, then attended UCLA
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
graduate school for two years.
UCLA
Gottfried served as an assistant coach for eight seasons (1987–95) at UCLA under Jim HarrickJim Harrick
Jim Harrick is an American former basketball coach who coached at Pepperdine University, UCLA, the University of Rhode Island and the University of Georgia over a combined total of 23 seasons.-Biography:...
. Also members of the staff were current St. John's (and former UCLA) head coach Steve Lavin
Steve Lavin
Steve Lavin is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at St. John's University in Queens, New York. Lavin previously served as the head coach for UCLA....
and current Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar
Lorenzo Romar
-References:1. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/FocusOnTheFamilyDailyBroadcast/~3/dnPdyF5PmG0/ffd_20110314.mp3-External links:*...
. The Bruins were the 1995 NCAA champions with Gottfried as an assistant coach and recruiter. The Bruins were ranked 1st nationally for their recruiting class in 1994 and produced future NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
players Ed O'Bannon
Ed O'Bannon
Edward Charles O'Bannon, Jr. is a retired American basketball player, who was a power forward for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team on their 1995 NCAA championship team, where he was known as "Ed-O"...
, George Zidek
George Zidek
Jiří Zídek, Jr., generally referred to in English as George Zidek , is a retired Czech professional basketball player. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the 1st round of the 1995 NBA Draft...
, Tyus Edney
Tyus Edney
Tyus Dwayne Edney is an American professional basketball player. A point guard for UCLA from 1991–1995, Edney led the Bruins to the 1995 NCAA National Championship. He also led Žalgiris Kaunas to the 1999 Euroleague title...
, Don MacLean
Don MacLean (basketball)
Donald James MacLean is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. As a college player, he holds the distinction of being the all-time scoring leader of both the Pac-10 Conference and UCLA, although Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would have most likely attained both of those records had...
, Tracy Murray
Tracy Murray
Tracy Lamonte Murray is a retired American professional basketball player who played for six different NBA franchises and two Greek clubs, with a final stint in France...
, Trevor Wilson
Trevor Wilson
Trevor Wilson may refer to:*Trevor Wilson , American baseball player*Trevor Wilson , American basketball player*Trevor Wilson , fictional character...
, Darrick Martin
Darrick Martin
Darrick David Martin is an American retired professional basketball player. Martin's more than decade-long professional career bounced between the Continental Basketball Association , where he won the 2003 CBA Playoffs MVP, and the NBA. In 2003 he even played for the Harlem Globetrotters...
and Mitchell Butler
Mitchell Butler
Mitchell Leon Butler is a retired American professional basketball player most notable for playing in the NBA from 1993 to 2004....
.
He has faced his former school twice as head coach at Alabama, losing 79–57 in the 2001 John Wooden
John Wooden
John Robert Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood", he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row — as head coach at UCLA, an unprecedented feat. Within this period, his teams won a record 88 consecutive games...
Classic and losing 62–59 in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament.
Murray State
Gottfried was head coach from 1995 to 1998 at Murray State University and compiled a 68–24 overall record. Murray State advanced to the NCAA tournament in 1997 and again in 1998 and made the NIT in his first season there in 1996. He coached the Racers to Ohio Valley ConferenceOhio Valley Conference
The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...
Championships in each of his seasons as head coach, becoming the first head coach to win three OVC titles in only three seasons. In his last season, the Racers finished 25th in the final AP Poll—the last time to date an OVC team has appeared in a final major basketball poll.
Alabama
Gottfried was hired by the University of Alabama on March 25, 1998. He led the Tide to the SEC regular season championship in the 2001–02 season. The following year, his team became the first in Crimson Tide history to be ranked No. 1 in the AP poll. The team held the ranking for two weeks before losing 51–49 to UtahUtah Utes men's basketball
The University of Utah Utes have consistently been one of the most successful basketball programs in the NCAA. They are currently an NCAA Division I program that plays in the Pacific-12 Conference. The school has made the NCAA Tournament 26 times, which ranks 16th in NCAA history and 3rd behind...
shortly before conference play. During the end of the following season, his team upset top-ranked and top-seeded Stanford
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The squad then defeated reigning national champion Syracuse
Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private research university located in Syracuse, New York, United States. Its roots can be traced back to Genesee Wesleyan Seminary, founded by the Methodist Episcopal Church in 1832, which also later founded Genesee College...
to advance to the Elite Eight
Elite Eight
The term Elite Eight, or less commonly called "Great Eight", refers to the final eight teams in the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship or the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship; and, thus, represents the national quarterfinals. In Division I, the Elite Eight consists of the...
, achieving another program first. The Tide ultimately lost to eventual national champion UConn
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
. For his efforts he was named SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
coach of the year by the AP
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and his fellow coaches. The next season, Alabama entered the NCAA tournament as a fifth seed before suffering a first-round loss to UW–Milwaukee.
Since then, his tenure at Alabama was marked by key player injuries and disappointment. Alabama posted back-to-back losing seasons in the SEC in 2006–07 and 2007–08. The 2007–08 season marked the first time in nine years (only the second time under Gottfried) that Alabama did not reach either the NIT or NCAA post-season tournament, although the Tide did receive an invitation to the first annual College Basketball Invitational
College Basketball Invitational
The College Basketball Invitational is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI selects 16 teams that are not selected for the NCAA Tournament...
, which it did not accept.
On January 26, 2009, following the controversial departure of player Ronald Steele and a meeting with Alabama Athletics Director Mal Moore
Mal Moore
Mal M. Moore is the current Director of Athletics for the University of Alabama. On November 23, 1999, he was hired to his current position after spending almost thirty years in other areas with the university...
, Gottfried resigned mid-season as basketball coach at the University of Alabama.
North Carolina State
On April 5, 2011, Gottfried accepted the job as head coach of the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team. To celebrate the upcoming basketball season, Gottfried planned to perform a tandem skydive into Carter Finley Stadium during halftime of a football game. The jump, scheduled for September 17, 2011, was canceled due to weather concerns.Head coaching record
† Resigned mid–seasonFamily
Mark is the father of four sons and one daughter. His oldest son, Brandon, was a standout athlete at Gulf Shores High School in both footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and basketball and is attending Stanford University to play football. His only daughter, Mary Layson, was a star on the Gulf Shores High School Volleyball team and also played tennis. She graduated in 2011 and now attends NC State University. His father, Joe Gottfried, was also a basketball coach and recently retired as Director of Athletics at the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
. His uncle, Mike Gottfried
Mike Gottfried
-External links:*...
, was a college football head coach and is now an analyst on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
college football broadcasts. Both served as head coaches of their respective programs at Murray State.