Bob Huggins’ latest bit of trouble ended his tenure as West Virginia’s men’s basketball coach.
The 69-year-old Huggins resigned on Saturday night in the wake of his arrest on Friday night for allegedly driving under the influence.
The longtime coach, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September, announced his resignation in a statement, saying his “recent actions do not represent the values of the University or the leadership expected in this role … I have let all of you — and myself — down.”
Huggins, who has been a Division I head coach since 1984 and has spent the past 16 seasons at West Virginia, informed his players of his impending resignation during a team meeting on Saturday, according to ESPN.
“I am solely responsible for my conduct and sincerely apologize to the University community — particularly to the student-athletes, coaches and staff in our program,” Huggins wrote in his statement. “I must do better, and I plan to spend the next few months focused on my health and my family so that I can be the person they deserve.”
He was arrested in Pittsburgh after police observed a black SUV blocking traffic just before 8:30 p.m. Friday.
The vehicle had a “flat and shredded tire” and the driver’s side door was open.
Police said they advised Huggins to move the vehicle off the road and after they observed him having trouble maneuvering the SUV, they pulled him over.
The officers, who said they believed Huggins was intoxicated, questioned him and requested that he perform field sobriety tests, which he failed.
A breath test, according to the police report, determined Huggins’ blood alcohol content was 0.21 percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent in Pennsylvania.
A blood sample also was taken from Huggins at a hospital prior to his release.
This wasn’t the first DUI arrest for Huggins. He was convicted of drunk driving in 2004 and pleaded no contest, while he was the head coach at Cincinnati.
His 16-year stint with the Bearcats ended in the aftermath of that drunk-driving arrest.
The West Virginia’s athletic department said in a separate statement Saturday night that it accepted Huggins’ resignation “in light of recent events.
“We support his decision so that he can focus on his health and family,” the statement read. “On behalf of West Virginia University, we share our appreciation for his service to our University, our community and our state.”
No replacement was immediately named for Huggins.
The athletic department statement said that “in the days ahead, we will focus on supporting the student-athletes in our men’s basketball program and solidifying leadership for our program.”
Huggins leaves as the third-winningest coach all-time in Division I with 935 career victories, behind only Mike Krzyzewski of Duke (1,202) and Jim Boeheim of Syracuse (998), both of whom are retired.
Unlike the others, Huggins had no national titles, but he did take Cincinnati to the Final Four in 1992 and West Virginia in 2010.
Before the DUI, it was likely the 2023-2024 season was going to be the last for Huggins, who recently had received a $1 million salary reduction and three-game suspension in the aftermath of his use of a gay slur while also denigrating Catholics during a radio interview.
His contract was guaranteed for only a year, but now Huggins’ tenure is over.
— with AP