By SuperWest Sports Staff
In this series of updates on the history of the top men’s basketball programs from the West, we provide a brief coaching summary and a list of the current coaches, along with postseason results, regular-season conference titles, award winners, and all-time coaching records.
Utah began playing men’s basketball in 1908, finishing with a record of 3–8. But by 1916, the Utes had won their first national championship, capturing the National AAU Tournament title.
The school has made the NCAA Tournament 29 times, tied for 27th-most in NCAA history, and fourth-most appearances in the West behind only UCLA, Arizona, and BYU.
In 1927 Utah began laying the foundation for what would become one of the winningest programs in college basketball with the hiring of Vadal Peterson.
He and the Utes reached the ultimate prize in 1944, winning national championship, with Arnie Ferrin named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after scoring 28 points in the final two games.
Three years later, Peterson would lead Utah to the then-more prestigious NIT championship, with a victory over Kentucky.
Peterson retired with a 385–230 record, ending his tenure as the only coach in Utah history to have won a national championship.
Jack Gardner, who coached Utah from 1953 to 1971, led the Utes to seven conference titles, making six NCAA Tournament appearances, including two Final Fours.
Known for his fast-break style, Gardner earned Utah the nickname Runnin’ Utes. He remains one of only three coaches to twice lead two different programs to the Final Four, along with Roy Williams and Rick Pitino.
The kingpin of Utah’s recent basketball success is Rick Majerus, who coached Utah to nine conference titles, making 11 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including a Final Four appearance in 1998.
His 323-95 career record is the best overall winning percentage among Utah coaches, with only one losing season in 25 years, setting the standard for all subsequent Ute headmen.
In 2011, Larry Krystkowiak took the reins in Salt Lake City, transitioning the Utes into the newly expanded Pac-12 Conference. His teams made two NCAA Tournament appearances but never won a conference title.
Craig Smith was hired away from Utah State in 2021, signing a six-year contract worth $12.6 million. His Utah team went 11-20 in his initial rebuilding year.
The Utes improved to 17-15 in his second season, highlighted by an 81-66 upset of No. 4 Arizona on December 1, 2022.
Utah went 22–15 in Smith’s third season, snapping an 11-game home losing streak to Oregon behind a career-high 24 points from Devion Smith, who broke Jason Kidd’s Pac-12 single-season record with five triple-doubles.
The Utes accepted an invitation to play in the 2024 NIT, advancing to the Final Four before losing to Indiana State in Utah’s first postseason appearance since 2018.
The 2024-25 season did not go as planned with Smith’s team finishing 16-17 overall, having failed to make the NCAA Tournament in all four years of his tenure.
Smith was fired on February 24, 2025, before the end of the regular season.
Alex Jensen, a starter for the Utes during their 1998 NCAA Tournament championship run and a former NBA assistant coach for the Jazz and Mavericks, was hired on March 6.
University of Utah (Salt Lake City, UT)
Jon M. Huntsman Center
Current Coaching Staff
Current head coach: Alex Jensen (2025-present)
Assistant: Eric Daniels (2025-present)
Assistant: Martin Schillar (2025-present)
Assistant: Raphael Chillious (2025-present)
General Manager: Wes Wilcox (2025-present)
Director of Operations & Player Personnel: Rico Silvester (2025-present)
Postseason Results
National Championships: 1 (1944)
Final Four Appearances: 4 (1944, 1961, 1966, 1998)
Elite Eight: 6 (1944, 1956, 1961, 1966, 1997, 1998)
Sweet Sixteen Appearances: 16 (1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1966, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2005, 2015)
NCAA Tournament Appearances: 29 (1944, 1945, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1966, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2015, 2016)
NCAA Tournament Overall Record: 38-32
NIT Championships: 1 (1947)
NIT Appearances: 15 (1944, 1947, 1949, 1957, 1958, 1970, 1974, 1987, 1988, 1992, 2001, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2024)
NIT Overall Record: 18-14
CBI Appearances: 1 (2008)
CBI Overall Record: 1-1
CBC Appearances: 1 (2025)
CBI Overall Record: 0-1
Titles (MSC/Skyline, WAC, Mountain West, Pac-12, Big 12)
Big 12 Regular Season Championships: 0
Pac-12 Regular Season Championships: 0
Mountain West Regular Season Championships: 5 (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009)
WAC Regular Season Championships: 12 (1966, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1986, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999)
MSC/Skyline Regular Season Championships: 12 (1931, 1932, 1933, 1937, 1938, 1945, 1955, 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962)
Big 12 Tournament Championships: 0
Pac-12 Tournament Championships: 0
Mountain West Tournament Championships: 2 (2004, 2009)
WAC Tournament Championships: 3 (1995, 1997, 1999)
Annual Award Winners
Naismith Player of the Year: 1 (Andrew Bogut, 2005)
John R. Wooden Award: 1 (Andrew Bogut, 2005)
Oscar Robertson Trophy: 1 (Andrew Bogut, 2005)
AP Player of the Year: 1 (Andrew Bogut, 2005)
NABC Player of the Year: 1 (Andrew Bogut, 2005)
AP All-Americans: 13 (Jakob Pöltl-2016; Delon Wright-2015; Andrew Bogut-2005; Andre Miller-1999; Keith Van Horn-1997 & 1996; Danny Vranes-1981; Luther Burden-1974; Bill McGill-1962, 1961 & 1960; Vern Gardner-1949; Arnie Ferrin-1948)
Pac-12 Player of the Year: 1 (Jakob Pöltl, 2016)
Mountain West Player of the Year: 4 (Luke Nevill-2009; Andrew Bogut-2005; Britton Johnsen-2002; Alex Jensen-2000)
WAC Player of the Year: 7 (Andre Miller-1999; Keith Van Horn-1997, 1996 & 1995; Josh Grant-1992 & 1991; Pace Mannion-1983)
Utah Head Coaching Records
| Coach | Tenure | Record | Conf Titles |
NCAA Trips |
NCAA Titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Jensen | 2025-Present | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Craig Smith | 2021-2025 | 66-67 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Larry Krystkowiak | 2011-2021 | 183-139 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Jim Boylen | 2007-2011 | 69-60 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Ray Giacoletti | 2004-2007 | 54-40 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Kerry Rupp (int) | 2004 | 9-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rick Majerus | 1989-2004 | 323-95 | 9 | 11 | 0 |
| Dick Hunsaker (int) | 2000-2001 | 18-12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Joe Cravens | 1989-1990 | 12-12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lynn Archibald | 1983-1989 | 98-86 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Jerry Pimm | 1974-1983 | 173-86 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| Bill E. Foster | 1971-1974 | 43-39 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Gardner | 1953-1971 | 339-154 | 7 | 6 | 0 |
| Vadal Peterson | 1927-1953 | 385-230 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Ike Armstrong | 1925-1927 | 9-18 | 1 | — | — |
| Thomas Fitzpatrick | 1917-1925 | 42-30 | 0 | — | — |
| Nelson Nordgren | 1914-1917 | 26-7 | — | — | — |
| Fred Bennion | 1910-1914 | 44-9 | — | — | — |
| Robert Richardson | 1909-1910 | 17-3 | — | — | — |
| Erastus Milne | 1908-1909 | 3-8 | — | — | — |
