Donald Eugene DeVoe (born December 31, 1941) is a former American

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

coach and former player. DeVoe played college basketball for

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, and later served as the head coach for

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, the

University of Wyoming The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...

, the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

, the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

and the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

Early life and playing career

Born in

Sabina, Ohio Sabina is a village in Clinton County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the village had a total population of 2,564. History The town of Sabina was laid out by Warren Sabin, after whom it was named, in 1830, on land originally entered ...

, DeVoe grew up in the small town of

Port William, Ohio Port William is a village in Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 229 at the 2020 census. History Port William was originally called West Liberty, and under the latter name was platted in 1832. A post office called Port William ...

. He attended

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, where he played for coach Fred Taylor's

Ohio State Buckeyes The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio. The athletic programs are named after the colloquial term for people from the state of Ohio and after the state tree ...

from 1962 to 1964. He was a member of the 1962 Buckeyes team that lost to the

Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. Though they will move to the Big 12 Conference (XII) the teams are currently a part of the American Athletic Conference (The American), which from 1979 ...

in the final game of the NCAA Tournament, as well as the Buckeyes'

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

champion teams of 1963 and 1964.

Coaching career

DeVoe's Buckeyes teammates included

Bob Knight Robert Montgomery Knight (born October 25, 1940) is an American former basketball coach. Nicknamed "the General", Knight won 902 NCAA Division I men's college basketball games, a record at the time of his retirement, and currently fourth all-ti ...

, under whom he served as an assistant coach, from 1965 to 1970, while Knight led the

Army Black Knights men's basketball The Army Black Knights men's basketball team represents the United States Military Academy in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball. Army currently competes as a member of the Patriot League and plays its ...

team.Alexander Wolff,
Look Who's Gone Forth And Multiplied
" ''Sports Illustrated'' (November 20, 1985). Retrieved February 7, 2011. At that time, DeVoe served as a graduate assistant at Ohio State University for the 1970–71 season. After a season with Ohio State, DeVoe became the head coach for Virginia Tech. While coaching the

Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball The Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Home games are played at Cassell Coliseum, located on Virginia Tech's campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, Black ...

team, DeVoe led the Hokies to a

National Invitational Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York City ...

(NIT) title in 1973, as well as an NCAA tournament appearance in 1976. Playing an independent schedule, DeVoe's Hokies compiled an 88–45 record in five seasons from 1971 to 1976. From 1976 to 1978, DeVoe led the

Wyoming Cowboys basketball The University of Wyoming men's basketball program, which competes in the Mountain West Conference, has a lengthy tradition dating back to 1905. Wyoming won the 1943 NCAA championship under Hall of Fame coach Everett Shelton and behind star gu ...

program. From 1978 to 1989, DeVoe was the head coach of the

Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball The Tennessee Volunteers Men's Basketball Team is the collegiate men's basketball program for the University of Tennessee–Knoxville. The Volunteers (commonly referred to as the "Vols") compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athlet ...

team. In eleven seasons in Knoxville, he compiled a 204–137 record. DeVoe's Volunteers teams emphasized hustle, team play and man-to-man defense. He led the Volunteers to their first ever NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance in 1981, where they lost to top-seeded

Virginia Cavaliers The Virginia Cavaliers, also known as ''Wahoos'' or ''Hoos'', are the athletic teams representing the University of Virginia, located in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers compete at the NCAA Division I level ( FBS for football), in the Atlantic C ...

. In his final season at Tennessee in 1988–89, he led the Vols to a 19–11 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance.Mike Bianchi,
Two decades later, Don DeVoe has a message for cancer-stricken Dwayne Schintzius
" ''Orlando Sentinel'' (March 11, 2010). Retrieved April 17, 2012. In the aftermath of NCAA infractions that led the

to demand head coach

Norm Sloan Norman Leslie Sloan Jr. (June 25, 1926 – December 9, 2003) was an American college basketball player and coach. Sloan was a native of Indiana and played college basketball and football at North Carolina State University. He began a long career a ...

's resignation before the start of the 1989–90 season, DeVoe became the interim head coach of the

Florida Gators men's basketball The Florida Gators men's basketball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of basketball. The Gators compete in NCAA Division I's Southeastern Conference (SEC). Home games are played in the O'Connell Center, Exactech Arena at the ...

team shortly after retiring as head coach of Tennessee. The Gators were a talented team beset by personality problems, and DeVoe later described his acceptance of the job on an interim basis as a "mistake" that left him without authority to fix the program's more serious issues. He publicly clashed with the Gators' temperamental star center

Dwayne Schintzius Dwayne Kenneth Schintzius (October 14, 1968 – April 15, 2012) was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player. He was born in Brandon, Florida and attended the University of Florida, where he helped lead the Florida Gato ...

when DeVoe attempted to impose a new conditioning program and a measure of team discipline.William F. Reed,
College Report
" ''Sports Illustrated'' (December 11, 1989). Retrieved February 7, 2011. Schintzius quit mid-season, ostensibly over DeVoe's demand that he get a haircut, and the Gators finished 7–21 overall and 3–15 in the SEC. After he was let go by Florida, he was succeeded by

Lon Kruger Lonnie Duane Kruger (born August 19, 1952) is a retired American college and professional basketball coach (sport), coach who was most recently the men's basketball head coach of the University of Oklahoma. Kruger played college basketball for K ...

. DeVoe served as the head coach of the

Navy Midshipmen men's basketball The Navy Midshipmen men's basketball team represents the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland, in NCAA Division I college basketball. The team competes in the Patriot League and plays its home games in Alumni Hall.

team from 1992 to 2004. He led the Midshipmen to a 182–155 record, a 26–3 record against arch-rival Army, five

Patriot League The Patriot League is a collegiate athletic conference comprising private institutions of higher education and two United States service academies based in the Northeastern United States. Outside the Ivy League, it is among the most selective gr ...

regular season titles, three Patriot League tournament titles, and three NCAA Tournament appearances in twelve seasons. DeVoe was named Patriot League Coach of the Year three times. In his thirty-one season career as a college basketball head coach, DeVoe led three different teams to the NCAA tournament, and posted an overall win–loss record of 512–389 (.568).

Personal

DeVoe and his wife Ana have three children: Donna Lee, Elliott and AnaLise. He is currently a member of the NIT selection committee.

Head coaching record

References

Bibliography

* Dortch, Chris,
String Music: Inside the Rise of SEC Basketball
', Brassey's, Inc., Dulles, Virginia (2002). . * Koss, Bill, ''Pond Birds: Gator Basketball, The Whole Story From The Inside'', Fast Break Press, Gainesville, Florida (1996). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Devoe, Don 1941 births Living people American men's basketball coaches Army Black Knights men's basketball coaches Basketball players from Ohio Florida Gators men's basketball coaches Navy Midshipmen men's basketball coaches Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players People from Clinton County, Ohio Place of birth missing (living people) Tennessee Volunteers basketball coaches Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball coaches Wyoming Cowboys basketball coaches People from Sabina, Ohio Basketball coaches from Ohio American men's basketball players