Presidential Guest Speaker
Coach Bruce Pearl

CAREER HONORS
• Three-Time SEC Coach of the Year (2006, 2008 and 2022)
• Three-Time Horizon League Coach of the Year (2002, 2003 and 2005)
• Two-Time GLVC Coach of the Year (1993 and 1994)
• 2019 NCAA Final Four appearance
• 2009 Maccabi Games Gold Medalist (Team USA)
• 2008 Adolph Rupp Cup Award recipient
• 2006 Sporting News Coach of the Year
• 1995 NABC Division II Coach of the Year
• 1995 NCAA Division II National Championship

Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl is in his 10th season on The Plains.

He has guided the Tigers to 173 wins in nine seasons, the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking in both national polls and a memorable run to the NCAA Final Four in 2019.

The three-time SEC Coach of the Year’s accomplishments also include two Southeastern Conference regular-season championships, one SEC Tournament championship and four NCAA Tournament berths with the Tigers.

Pearl currently ranks No. 13 among active NCAA Division I coaches in career wins (635) and No. 8 all-time among winningest SEC coaches with 318 career victories at Auburn and Tennessee combined.

During the 2022-23 season, the Tigers continued to make history finishing the season with a 21-13 overall record – the 11th-most wins in program history. Auburn has now turned in 20-win seasons in five of the last six years and is the second-winningest program in the SEC in that span.

Auburn was ranked a program-best 32-consecutive weeks in The Associated Press Top 25 Poll and as high as No. 11 in the country during the season. It was one of 10 schools to be ranked in the AP Top 25 throughout the 2022 calendar year.

For the third-consecutive school year, the Tigers achieved a team GPA of 3.0 or higher and received the NABC Academic Excellence Award under Pearl.

Six Tigers have been drafted into the NBA and developed by Pearl and his coaching staff including All-Americans Jabari Smith (No. 3 overall in 2022) and Walker Kessler selected (No. 22 overall in 2022). Both are currently playing in the league along with Chuma Okeke (No. 16 overall in 2019), Isaac Okoro (No. 5 overall in 2020), JT Thor (No. 37 overall in 2021) and Sharife Cooper (No. 48 overall in 2021).

During the 2021-22 season, Auburn posted a 28-6 overall record – the third-most wins in school history, turned in the program’s first-ever undefeated season at home at Neville Arena (16-0) and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers finished the historic campaign ranked No. 8 in the final Associated Press Poll and No. 14 in the final USA TODAY/Coaches Poll. They also finished No. 13 overall in the final NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings.

All-American Jabari Smith took home National Freshman of the Year honors, while All-American Walker Kessler was tabbed National Defensive Player of the Year – both firsts in program history.

The Tigers were among nine schools to sell out all of its home games during the 2021-22 season. Additionally, Auburn has sold out season tickets every year in the Bruce Pearl Era.

Since he arrived at Auburn for the 2014-15 season, Pearl has produced one of the biggest turnarounds in the college basketball landscape. Prior to his arrival, Auburn has an average RPI of 191.8.

In the last five out of six seasons, the Tigers have finished their campaign 16th, 13th, 27th, 13th and 35th respectively in the final RPI and NET Rankings.

Pearl’s teams have been just as successful off the court as Auburn has had 37 graduates
since 2014 – the most in the SEC.

The 2018-19 season was arguably the greatest season in Auburn basketball history. The Tigers won 30 games for the first time ever enroute to becoming the first team from the state of Alabama to reach the Final Four.

During Auburn’s historic March Madness run in the 2018-19 season, the Tigers became the first team ever to knock off the three winningest programs in college basketball history in succession – Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky.

In 28 seasons as a head coach, he has guided his teams to the NCAA Tournament 21 times and a 635-256 (.713) winning record.

Pearl is the only head coach (football or men’s basketball) in SEC history to lead two programs to a No. 1 national ranking (Auburn in 2022 and Tennessee in 2008).

Additionally, he is just one of three head coaches to take four programs (three at the Division I level) to the Sweet 16, joining Lon Kruger and Eddie Sutton.

Pearl became the 21st fastest coach to 500 wins in his 691st game in Auburn’s 78-74 win over LSU on Jan. 19, 2017. He reached the historic mark between a pair of Hall of Famers, just behind Lute Olson and ahead of Nolan Richardson.

Pearl’s impact is also continually felt in the community. When he isn’t out buying lunch for students on campus or dropping into Auburn classes, he can be found spreading the word of Auburn Basketball at Auburn Alumni and Tigers Unlimited events throughout the Southeast. And if he isn’t there, there is a good chance he is in the stands supporting one of the other Auburn programs, because as he says, “Auburn is an Everything School.”

Through the Bruce Pearl Family Foundation, he and his wife, Brandy, remain committed to giving back to those in Alabama, providing support to children and families facing challenging and life-altering illnesses through Children’s Harbor.

In 2015-16, Pearl started AUTLIVE at Auburn to benefit patients in the state of Alabama in the fight against cancer. AUTLIVE also raises the awareness of cancer prevention and detection.

An ambassador for the university, Pearl’s selfless community service work and generous stewardship makes him one of the most influential public figures in the state of Alabama.

He was given the “Spirit of Auburn” Award in the spring of 2015 and was named “Knoxvillian of the Year” by Knoxville Metro Pulse in 2008 and also received the prestigious “Knoxville Award” in 2010. The UT basketball program also earned the UT Men’s Community Outreach Team Award twice in his six seasons.

Pearl realized a lifelong dream in the summer of 2008 when his country called upon him to serve as head coach of Maccabi USA’s open men’s basketball team at the 18th World Maccabiah Games in Israel. He led the American squad to the gold medal for just the third time in 24 years, toppling favored Israel in the title game.

His 28 years of coaching experience covers four stops. Pearl began his head coaching career with a nine-year stay at Southern Indiana, taking the program to the NCAA Tournament each season, going 231-46 (.834) from 1992-2001.

From there he made the move to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, taking the Panthers to the NIT once and the NCAA Tournament twice including a 2005 Sweet 16 appearance.

After compiling an 86-38 (.694) record at Milwaukee, Tennessee tabbed him as its leader in 2005 and he responded by taking the program to six-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet Sixteens (2007, 2008) and the 2010 Elite Eight, which was the most successful six-year run in the Volunteers’ history.

Pearl’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Boston College, as a student assistant coach to the legendary Dr. Tom Davis. After 14 seasons seated to the right of Davis, the then 32-year-old Pearl embarked on his own head coaching career.

But Pearl’s first break came during his undergraduate career at BC when Davis offered him a position of student assistant in 1978. The Eagles won the BIG EAST Conference championship and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament in 1981. The following season, BC advanced to the Elite Eight.

When Davis moved on to Stanford in 1982, Pearl joined his staff as an assistant coach and then, at the age of 23, was promoted to associate head coach for the Cardinal. While in Palo Alto, Calif., they ended a streak of 20-consecutive losing seasons with a 19-12 overall record in 1983-84, laying the groundwork for a resurgence in Stanford Basketball.

During that time, the coaching staff recruited four players who were drafted by the NBA, including Todd Lichti, who finished his career as Stanford’s all-time leading scorer with 2,336 career points.

After four seasons on the West Coast, Pearl followed Davis to Iowa in 1986. Over the course of the next six seasons, the Hawkeyes received five NCAA Tournament berths while compiling a 129-63 overall record. In 1987, the Hawkeyes recorded a 30-5 mark and advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to UNLV.

And in 1988, Pearl was recognized as one of the top Division I assistants in the country by Basketball Weekly, while helping direct the Hawkeyes to the Sweet 16.

His six seasons in Iowa City helped produce 11 NBA draft picks for the Hawkeyes including Brad Lohaus, Kevin Gamble, B.J. Armstrong, Roy Marble and Acie Earl.

Pearl’s first head coaching opportunity came at Southern Indiana, a Division II school located in Evansville, Ind.

The Boston, Mass., native is married to the former Brandy Miller of Sevierville, Tenn. He graduated cum laude from Boston College in 1982 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He is the proud father of four children, Jacqui, Steven, Leah and Michael, and enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, Chaya and Jaden.