Mike Krzyzewski, legendary coach of the Duke University men’s basketball team, will be in Warsaw on Sept. 28. The 63-year-old Krzyzewski, commonly known as Coach K, is a bilateral hip replacement patient and will share his inspirational story to the employees at DePuy. Krzyzewski is just three wins away from breaking former Indiana University and Texas Tech University coach Bob Knight’s NCAA Division I record of 902 wins. In 36 years, which includes five seasons as the head coach at Army and 31 seasons at Duke, Krzyzewski owns a record of 900-284. His teams won national championships in 1991, 1992, 2001 and 2010. Duke’s 2010 national championship team included brothers Miles and Mason Plumlee, who grew up in Warsaw. Miles Plumlee is the lone senior on this year’s Blue Devils squad, while Mason Plumlee is a junior and Marshall Plumlee is a freshman. Krzyzewski has been inducted into the Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame, has been honored as Time Maganzine’s “America’s Best Coach”, and led the U.S. Men’s Olympic team to the Gold Medal in 2008. Krzyzewski almost walked away from basketball in 1994, however, after he began experiencing pain in his left hip. The pain worsened, and in 1999, Krzyzewski walked with a limp and was relegated to coaching from a chair. After much thought, Krzyzewski had his left hip replaced in April of 1999. In 2003, he had his right hip replaced. The procedures have allowed Krzyzewski to continue coaching the game he loves. And on top of his duties at Duke, the legendary coach will lead Team USA in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
