HIGH POINT, N.C., March 28 (UPI) -- Jerry Steele, who coached basketball at High Point University for 31 years, retired Friday.
Steele had coached at High Point from 1972 and compiled 609 wins, eight conference titles and 15 trips to the NAIA national tournament. He was the linchpin in High Point's rise to Division I basketball in the 1999-2000 season.
Steele also served as the school's athletic director from 1972-98 and was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 1987.
"Coach Jerry Steele is something of an icon at High Point," president Dr. Jacob C. Martinson said. "He is a dear friend. In my 18 years here, we have never exchanged a cross word. He is a shining example of a man and has always brought a wealth of experience, talent, and human decency to the service of the university. Those who know him know him with admiration and affection."
Steele played at Wake Forest under Bones McKinney before an eight-year coaching stint at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. He served as an assistant for the Carolina Cougars of the American Basketball Association for two seasons before coming to High Point.
Steele's former players include Kentucky coach Tubby Smith, South Carolina coach Dave Odom and former Boston Celtic M.L. Carr.
