Dana Dean Altman (born June 16, 1958) is an American college basketball coach. He is the head coach of the University of Oregon Ducks men's basketball team. Previously he was head coach at Creighton, Kansas State and Marshall. Altman has won conference coach of the year awards at each school he has coached, and has led his teams to 13 appearances in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
College education
Dana Altman began playing college basketball at Fairbury Junior College (now Southeast Community College) in Fairbury, Nebraska. He earned an associate degree in business administration there in 1978. He then received his undergraduate degree in the same field at Eastern New Mexico University in 1980.
Coaching career
Marshall University
In his first NCAA Division I head coaching position, Altman became the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia in 1989. Although he only spent one season as the coach of the Thundering Herd, Altman led the Herd to a 15-13 record and to runners-up in the Southern Conference Tournament losing to East Tennessee State in the tournament championship game. Altman left Marshall after only one season to replace his mentor, Lon Kruger, at Kansas State.
Kansas State
Although his four-year tenure as Kansas State’s head coach produced one NCAA Tournament appearance, Dana Altman will be remembered most for his ability to win close ball games, and for pulling off some of the biggest upsets in school history.
Altman’s teams were 28â€"13 in games decided by six points or less, which included a 6â€"1 mark in one-point games. His 1992â€"93 club perpetuated a Kansas State tradition. Picked to finish last in the Big Eight, Altman’s Wildcats won 11 games in the final minute, earned the school’s first Top 25 ranking in five seasons, finished 19â€"11, reached the championship game of the Big Eight Tournament and returned Kansas State to the NCAA Tournament for the 21st time.
Altman’s peers named him Big Eight Coach-of-the-Year in 1993 and he capped the season by upsetting No. 6 Kansas 74â€"67 in the semifinals of the conference tournament.
The following season, he made it two in a row over Kansas when he upset the No. 1 ranked Jayhawks 68â€"64 in Lawrence. His 1993â€"94 squad finished the season with a 20â€"14 record and advanced to the NIT Final Four in New York City. Following the season, he accepted the head coaching position at Creighton, in his home state of Nebraska.
Creighton
During his time at Creighton, his athletes earned three All-American honors on the court and three other Academic All-America laurels in the classroom. Three players he coached at Creighton, Kyle Korver, Rodney Buford, and Anthony Tolliver, have played in the NBA.
Altman was named Valley Coach of the Year twice, first in 2001 and also in 2002. Altman was a finalist for the Naismith College Coach of the Year and named the NABC District 12 and USBWA District VI Coach of the Year in 2002â€"03.
Altman became the 14th head coach in Creighton history following the 1993â€"94 season after four years as the head coach at Kansas State. Hired on March 31, 1994, Altman inherited a team that posted a 7â€"22 ledger the year before his arrival and led the Bluejays to a slightly improved 7â€"19 record in 1994â€"95 before his 1995â€"96 squad jumped to 14â€"15. In 1996â€"97, Altman’s team was 15â€"15 and followed with another substantial jump to 18â€"10 and a bid to the NIT in 1997â€"98.
On April 2, 2007, Altman announced that he would become the head coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks, in a deal that was rumored to be $1.5 million per year, 5-year contract. Only one day later he had a change of heart and returned to Omaha and his team at Creighton, citing family reasons.
On February 5, 2009, Altman won his 300th game as Creighton head coach. In his first 13 years at Creighton, Altman ranked third all-time on the coaching victories list in the 99-year history of the Missouri Valley Conference, trailing only Hall of Fame coaches Henry Iba and Eddie Hickey. His record in 16 seasons with the Creighton Bluejays was 327â€"176 (.650).
Oregon
On April 24, 2010, Altman agreed to a 7-year contract worth nearly $2 million per year with Oregon. The university made it official on April 26 with a press conference.
Under Dana Altman the University of Oregon has consistently been one of the top basketball schools in the pac 12 with notable conference achievements including two regular season Pac-12 Conference championships (2016, 2017) and two Pac-12 tournament championships (2013, 2016). Altman has also led the Ducks to success in the NCAA tournament
In 2013 Oregon earned its first NCAA tournament bid under Dana Altman. This run ended in the sweet sixteen. Oregon continued this success, making the NCAA tournament in 2014 and 2015. Both the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons ended in the round of 32.
On March 13, 2016, Oregon earned its first #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in program history thanks to winning the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament titles.
On March 26th, 2016, the Oregon Ducks lost, as a #1 seed in the Elite Eight to the #2 seeded Oklahoma Sooners due in large part to a lights out shooting performance by Buddy Hield.
On November 11, 2016, Oregon and Altman agreed on a seven-year contract extension that will keep him in Eugene through the 2022-2023 season.
On March 25, 2017, Altman led the #3 seeded Ducks to their first Final Four in 78 years with a 74-60 upset over #1 seed Kansas in Kansas City. This was Altman's first final four appearance. Oregon would go on to lose in the final 4 to end what was a massively successful season for Altman and the Ducks
Head coaching record
Personal life
Altman was born in Crete, Nebraska. He is married to the former Reva Phillips. They have three sons Jordan, Chase, and Spencer, and one daughter, Audra. Altman, who had been an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America, received a Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 2008.
References
