Bob Huggins Announces Resignation in Letter to West Virginia

West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins addressed his resignation with a letter to Mountaineer nation on Saturday night per release. Huggins had an emergency team meeting with the players and staff around 8:30 p.m., a source told WV Sports Now. Huggins let the team know he was resigning from his position after being charged with a DUI on Friday night in Pittsburgh.

Mountaineer Nation:

“Today, I have submitted a letter to President Gordon Gee and Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker informing them of my resignation and intention to retire as head men’s basketball coach at West Virginia University effective immediately.

My recent actions do not represent the values of the University or the leadership expected in this role. While I have always tried to represent our University with honor, I have let all of you – and myself – down. 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. 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.

It has been the honor of my professional career to lead the men’s basketball program at my alma mater and I take great pride in our accomplishments. But I am most proud of the tremendous young men who chose to spend their formative years with us, and who have gone on to do great things with their lives.

I was born in Morgantown, graduated from West Virginia University and had the pleasure of coaching here for seventeen seasons as an assistant or head coach. It will always be my home, and I will always be a Mountaineer.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our program over the years. It has meant more to me and my family than you could ever know.”

Sincerely, Bob Huggins

Last month WVU President Gordon Gee and Director of Athletics Wren Baker punished Huggins for his anti-gay slur over a Cincinnati radio station. Gee and Baker said that any other similar incident would result in termination. Huggins was dismissed at the University of Cincinnati back in 2004 for the same incident.

Huggins won 935 career games spanning five coaching tenures at Walsh College, Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia. Huggins returned to his alma mater in 2007, taking the Mountaineers to their second Final Four in school history in 2010. Huggins finishes second in all-time coaching wins at WVU, with 345 wins. Huggins was enshrined into the Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2022.

Huggins was preparing for his 17th season at West Virginia, with his staff bringing in a top transfer portal class.