July 25, 2006

Richard "Digger" Phelps, Rider College (N.J.)
Graduated - 1963
Major - Business Administration
Sport - Basketball

One of the most famous names in collegiate basketball, Richard "Digger" Phelps, graduated from Rider College (N.J.) in 1963 with a bachelor's degree in business administration and in 1964 with a master's degree in business education.  After playing in the NAIA national tournament his senior year, Phelps began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. After a move to the high school ranks, he got his first full assistant job in 1966 at the University of Pennsylvania. His first head coaching job came in 1970 at Fordham University; after leading the Rams to a 26-3 record in the 1970-71 season he was named head coach at the University of Notre Dame.

During his 20 seasons at Notre Dame (1971-1991), his teams went 393-197, with 14 seasons of 20 wins or more. In 1978, Notre Dame made its only (men's) Final Four to date. However, his most-remembered game was on January 19, 1974, when the Fighting Irish scored the last 12 points of the game to defeat top-ranked UCLA 71-70, ending the Bruins' record 88-game winning streak.  Perhaps his greatest accomplishment came in the form of every player who competed for four years under Phelps received his degree, a perfect 54-for-54 mark.

After retiring from coaching, he briefly worked for the Office of National Drug Control Policy and also served as an observer in the 1993 elections in Cambodia. His broadcasting career began in 1993 when he did color commentary for that year's NCAA tournament for CBS. He joined ESPN the next season and currently serves as a studio host and analyst for the network.  In 2004, Phelps started color-coordinating his neckties with his highliters for ESPN broadcasts. This color-coordination became known as "Tie-liter."

Phelps recently authored his third book, the popular "Basketball For Dummies." Previously, he wrote "Coaches World" (which highlighted the 1974 Notre Dame season that saw the Irish snap UCLA's 88-game win streak) and "Digger Phelps & Notre Dame Basketball."

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