Steve Alford’s 36th season as a head coach will be his last.
Alford, who turns 62 years old in November, announced today he will retire after the 2026-27 season leading Nevada. It will mark Alford’s eighth season with the Wolf Pack and 32nd at the Division I level, including stops at UCLA, New Mexico, Iowa and Missouri State. His coaching career started with Division III Manchester University in 1991-92. Alford had two years remaining on his contract after this season worth a combined $2.95 million in guaranteed money.
“After 36 years, I feel like this is the right time to step away from the bench,” Alford said in a news release. “Tanya and I have loved our time in Reno, and have embraced this amazing community and built lifelong friendships. I want to thank the University of Nevada for the opportunity to lead this program, and I am looking forward to finishing this season the right way, with a team I believe in. God has richly blessed our family in so many ways through basketball and we are very grateful. I’m excited to see God’s direction in the next chapter.”
One of the best college players ever, Alford was a high school star at New Castle Chrysler High in Indiana where he played for his father, Sam. Alford stayed in the Hoosier state for college, playing for the legendary Bobby Knight at Indiana from 1983-87 where he won a national championship during his senior season. A two-time All-American, Alford also won an Olympic gold medal in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as a 19-year-old rising sophomore.
The 26th pick of the 1987 NBA draft, Alford logged four seasons in the league before moving directly into coaching at age 26. He rebuilt Manchester University in Fort Wayne, Ind., reaching the NCAA Division III championship game in 1995. Alford then made the jump to Division I, coaching Missouri State for four seasons, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 1999. After that season, Alford became the head coach at Iowa where he won two Big Ten Tournament titles and reached the postseason six times (three NCAA tournaments, three NITs).
Alford then made the surprising move from the Big Ten to New Mexico, where he had his greatest coaching success. In his six seasons with the Lobos, Alford won 155 games, surpassing at least 22 wins each year. He won four Mountain West regular-season titles and two conference tournaments, reaching the Big Dance three times, including second-round appearances in 2010 and 2012.
After rousing success in Albuquerque, Alford was tabbed to replace Ben Howland at blue blood UCLA before the 2013-14 season. Alford had an up-and-down tenure with the Bruins, reaching the Sweet 16 in 2014 and 2015 as well as 2017. But he never won a regular-season conference title with the Bruins and was fired midway through the 2018-19 season with a 7-6 record. He finished his UCLA tenure with a 66.3 winning percentage, including 61.1 percent in league play.
Just days after Nevada lost Eric Musselman to Arkansas, the Wolf Pack put the full-court press on Alford, hiring him in April 2019 on a record-breaking 10-year, $12.6 million deal. In seven seasons at Nevada, Alford has gone 137-88 overall (60.9 percent) and 71-56 in league play (55.9 percent). He led Nevada to NCAA Tournament berths in back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024, both gut-wrenching losses. The first was a 25-point blowout to Arizona State in a First Four game and the second a 63-60 loss to Dayton in the first round after Nevada led by 17 points with 7 minutes remaining in regulation.
Nevada’s best MW finish under Alford has been second place in 2020 and 2024. The Wolf Pack has yet to reach a MW Tournament title game during his tenure. But Nevada has averaged 19.6 wins per game under Alford, including a 24-win season last year that ended with an NIT quarterfinal loss at Auburn, the eventual tournament champion.
“Steve Alford has been an important part of Nevada athletics and Wolf Pack basketball for nearly a decade, leading the program with consistency, integrity and a deep commitment to developing outstanding young men,” Nevada athletic director Stephanie Rempe said in a news release. “Throughout his tenure, he helped Nevada remain one of the Mountain West Conference’s most competitive programs while navigating a period of significant change in college athletics. His teams have been a source of pride, energy and positivity for Wolf Pack fans, creating memorable wins and special moments in Lawlor that have energized Nevada’s College Town. I want to thank Steve and Tanya for all they have done for Nevada athletics and our community and I look forward to celebrating Steve’s career throughout the season.”
In his career, Alford has won 724 games, including a 646-357 record in the D-I ranks. He has won nine D-I league titles (four regular season, five tournaments) and is a three-time conference coach of the year, each coming in the MW at New Mexico (2009, 2010, 2013). Alford has guided five schools to the NCAA Tournament, one shy of the record held by Rick Pitino. He is 11-13 in the Big Dance in 13 appearances.
Alford’s final season will come with a Wolf Pack team that looks primed for a strong 2026-27 campaign after the return of starters Elijah Price and Vaughn Weems and addition of a good transfer class. Nevada will be one of the favorites to win the new MW, which lost stalwarts San Diego State, Utah State, Boise State and Colorado State to the Pac-12 this offseason.
“Coach Steve Alford’s dedication to the University of Nevada, his love of his players, the incredible leadership he has demonstrated and the countless people he has touched throughout our community, leaves a lasting legacy of service and the very definition of what a college basketball coach should always strive to be,” university president Brian Sandoval said in a news release. “We have been incredibly fortunate to have Coach Alford as our men’s basketball coach — his time with us has represented an era of achievement, growth and success that our university will always fondly remember. Lauralyn and I want to wish Coach Alford, his wife Tanya and his entire family all the best as he nears this important life milestone. In the meantime, we look forward to celebrating every moment of his final season leading our Pack.”
After this season, Nevada will be back in the market for a head coach to lead its most successful program of the 21st century. Since 2000, Wolf Pack men’s basketball has won 12 conference titles (nine regular season, three tournament) with nine NCAA Tournament berths, including Sweet 16 appearances in 2004 and 2018. Nevada has won four MW titles — all under Musselman — with the most recent coming in 2019. The Wolf Pack is scheduled to play in a new $435 million arena on the Grand Sierra Resort property starting in the 2028-29 season.