WVU Donor Ken Kendrick Torches Idea of Bob Huggins Reclaiming Position as WVU Head Coach

There aren’t too many voices as loud when it comes to WVU sports today than mega booster Ken Kendrick. And the owner of MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks did not hold back when offering his honest opinion about the idea of Bob Huggins reclaiming the position as head coach of the Mountaineers.

Below is what Kendrick told West Virginia Metro News after the WVU basketball program announced the end of Josh Eilert’s tenure and the official start of a national coaching search.

“I think WVU, in their handling of the Bob Huggins debacle, probably were too lenient with him. Had he worked for me, he would have not had a job after he engaged in this vituperative series of homophobic remarks back in the spring and then was retained under very difficult circumstances and then lost his job as a result of a drunken stupor, I will call it,” said Kendrick during an appearance on the Metro News Hotline show.

“It’s the second time he lost his job because of drunkenness. It may not be remembered by many, but it is by me. He was let go by Cincinnati for exactly the same reason. So I think he has no place in the lives of young men who deserve quality leadership. So I would be one who would wonder about the mental capacity of any leader of any university who would consider hiring him for a coaching position.”

"I think he has no place in the lives of young men who deserve quality leadership." Country Roads Trust founder & WVU Alum Ken Kendrick spoke bluntly about any possible consideration for a Bob Huggins return as WVU Head Basketball Coach.
Full interview – https://t.co/yCFQ3nDJuy pic.twitter.com/xFH5Ekc774

— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) March 13, 2024

While Huggins returning as coach was never a realistic option, these comments by someone as influential as Kendrick should destroy any thought to it happening.

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. He also led WVU to three Sweet 16 trips in a four-year span. 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.

For a related story, WVU rebrands its baseball stadium with Kendrick’s name.