College Basketball
Family of Bob Huggins Announces Diagnosis of ‘Progressive Cognitive Condition’
WVU basketball coaching legend Bob Huggins is living with a “progressive cognitive condition that has begun to affect his memory, and aspects of his daily life,” per an announcement by his family in coordination with the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department.
The announcement comes ahead of Huggins’ induction into the UC James P. Kelly Athletics Hall of Fame this weekend, which he will still attend.
“He’s looking forward to returning to Cincinnati this weekend, celebrating with former players and friends, and sharing in a moment that recognizes not only his accomplishments, but also the enduring bonds formed along the way,” the release read.
In 16 seasons, Huggins accumulated a 399-127 record with the Bearcats as the program’s all-time wins leader, reaching the NCAA Tournament 14 times and capturing eight conference tournament titles. He reached the first of his two trips to the Final Four with Cincinnati in 1992.
Huggins, now 73, owns 935 career wins, which ranks third on the all-time wins list amongst coaches. He also led WVU to an appearance in the Final Four and Big East Tournament title in 2010. West Virginia made the Sweet 16 five times under Huggins. He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year in 2015 and was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
Find more coverage of Bob Huggins at WV Sports Now.
Wvufan5689
October 21, 2026 at 6:22 pm
This man has done a lot for WVU and West Virginia. Despite his mistakes, he deserves to be honored in Morgantown, and if the university has something in mind, they need to move on it now. We all make mistakes, and he is still beloved in West Virginia.
Chris Smith
October 22, 2026 at 9:06 am
This might have been news 5 years ago. To anyone paying attention it’s like no shit Sherlock now.
It’s sad but choices have consequences and he chose to drink himself into a stupor until the stupor became permanent. The real tragedy is the way so many people turned a blind eye and enabled, at times celebrated, his drinking problem. 8-10 years ago he might have been able to recover if he had been forced to choose between basketball and the bottle. Instead, he was permitted to drink both the program and himself down the tubes.