Career Timeline of Rick Pitino: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Rick Pitino made an impact.

Rick Pitino is a prominent American basketball coach currently leading St. John's University's men's team. With a career spanning NCAA Division I and the NBA, he's coached teams like Boston University, Providence College, the New York Knicks, Kentucky, and Louisville. He also coached the Boston Celtics and professionally with Panathinaikos and Iona University. Pitino briefly coached Greece's national team. His extensive coaching history demonstrates a significant impact on basketball at both collegiate and professional levels.

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Full Timeline Career & Achievements

1974: Graduate Assistant at Hawaii

In 1974, Rick Pitino started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Hawaii.

1975: Full-Time Assistant at Hawaii

In 1975, Rick Pitino became a full-time assistant coach at the University of Hawaii.

1976: First Assistant Hired by Jim Boeheim

In 1976, Rick Pitino was the first assistant coach hired by Jim Boeheim at Syracuse University.

1978: Head Coach at Boston University

In 1978, Rick Pitino became the head coach of Boston University's men's basketball team.

1983: End of Tenure at Boston University

In 1983, Rick Pitino's tenure as the head coach of Boston University concluded.

1985: Head Coach at Providence College

In 1985, Rick Pitino became the head coach at Providence College.

1985: St. John's Final Four run

In Rick Pitino's second season in 2025, St. John's had their first 30-win season since their 1985 run to the Final Four.

1986: Three-Point Field Goal Nationally Codified

The three-point field goal was nationally codified for the 1986-87 season.

July 14, 1987: Named Head Coach of the New York Knicks

On July 14, 1987, Rick Pitino became the head coach of the New York Knicks.

1987: Head Coach of the New York Knicks

In 1987, Rick Pitino took on the role of head coach for the New York Knicks in the NBA.

1987: NCAA adopts 3-point shot

In 1987, the NCAA adopted the 3-point shot, and Rick Pitino is considered one of the first coaches to promote fully taking advantage of it. His teams at Kentucky in the early 1990s were known as Pitino's Bombinos.

May 30, 1989: Resigned from the New York Knicks

On May 30, 1989, Rick Pitino resigned from his position as head coach of the New York Knicks.

1989: Head Coach at Kentucky

In 1989, Rick Pitino became the head coach at Kentucky, following a major recruiting scandal.

1993: Kentucky reaches Final Four

In 1993, Rick Pitino led Kentucky to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament.

1996: Kentucky wins NCAA Championship

In 1996, Rick Pitino led Kentucky to win the NCAA tournament, marking Kentucky's 6th NCAA Championship.

1996: NCAA Championship with Kentucky

In 1996, Rick Pitino led the University of Kentucky to an NCAA championship.

May 6, 1997: Hired as Head Coach of the Boston Celtics

On May 6, 1997, Rick Pitino was hired as the head coach of the Boston Celtics.

1997: Head Coach of the Boston Celtics

In 1997, Rick Pitino became the head coach of the Boston Celtics.

1997: Kentucky loses NCAA Title Game

In 1997, Rick Pitino's Kentucky team made it back to the national title game but lost to Arizona in overtime in the finals of the NCAA tournament.

1998: Kentucky wins National Title and Pitino Departure

In 1998, after Pitino left Kentucky, the team went on to win the national title.

1999: St. John's last reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament

Before Rick Pitino's appointment in 2023, St. John's last reached the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament in 1999.

2000: St. John's last Big East Conference championship

Before Rick Pitino's appointment in 2023, St. John's had not won a Big East Conference championship since 2000.

January 8, 2001: Resigned from Boston Celtics

On January 8, 2001, Rick Pitino resigned from his position as head coach of the Boston Celtics.

March 21, 2001: Hired as Head Coach at Louisville

On March 21, 2001, Rick Pitino returned to college coaching and became the head coach at the University of Louisville following Denny Crum's retirement.

2001: Head Coach at Louisville

In 2001, Rick Pitino became the head coach at the University of Louisville.

2005: Louisville reaches Final Four

In 2005, Rick Pitino led Louisville to their first Final Four in 19 years, becoming the first men's coach in NCAA history to lead three different schools to the Final Four.

2005: Louisville ties school record for single-season wins

In 2005, Rick Pitino's Louisville team tied for the most single-season wins in school history with 33. This was later surpassed by the 2013 NCAA title-winning Cardinals team.

2007: Second-Place Finish

In 2007, Rick Pitino led Louisville to a second-place finish, 12-4, tied with the University of Pittsburgh, in the Big East Conference standings and a first-round bye in the conference tournament.

2008: Second in the Big East

In 2008, Louisville finished second in the Big East and ranked 13th in both the AP and Coaches' polls.

2009: First Seed

In 2009, Louisville was the top seed overall in the NCAA tournament and was planted as the first seed in the Midwest region.

December 20, 2010: Pitino hired as head coach of Puerto Rico national team

On December 20, 2010, Rick Pitino was hired as head coach of the senior Puerto Rico national team.

April 29, 2011: Pitino will not coach the Puerto Rico national team

On April 29, 2011, it was announced that Rick Pitino would not coach the Puerto Rico national team, due to scheduling conflicts and NCAA regulations disallowing it.

2012: Big East Tournament Champions

In 2012, Rick Pitino coached the Cardinals to the Big East tournament championship and a berth as No. 4 seed in the West region of the NCAA tournament. The Cardinals lost to arch-rivals and eventual national champions Kentucky in the 2012 Final Four.

2013: National Championship

In 2013, Rick Pitino led the Louisville Cardinals to their third national championship in an 82-76 win over Michigan, becoming the first NCAA Division I coach in history to win a championship with two different schools, although that championship was later vacated.

2013: Louisville wins NCAA title

In 2013, Rick Pitino was one of two men's coaches in NCAA history to lead three separate schools (Providence, Kentucky, and Louisville) to the Final Four. However, Louisville's 2013 title under Pitino was later vacated.

2015: Pitino coaches Puerto Rican national team at FIBA Americas Championship

In 2015, Rick Pitino coached the Puerto Rican national team at the FIBA Americas Championship in Mexico City, Mexico, where they finished the tournament in 5th place.

October 3, 2017: Pitino's firing changed to resignation

On October 3, 2017, as a result of a settlement on September 18, 2019, Rick Pitino's termination was changed to a resignation with both parties citing "zero liability."

October 16, 2017: Pitino's termination by ULAA

On October 16, 2017, Rick Pitino was fired from ULAA before it was changed to a resignation on October 3, 2017, after settling a lawsuit on September 18, 2019.

2017: End of Louisville Tenure

In 2017, Rick Pitino's time as the head coach of the University of Louisville came to an end.

December 26, 2018: Pitino becomes head coach of Panathinaikos

On December 26, 2018, Rick Pitino was announced as the head coach of Panathinaikos until the end of the season, marking his debut in the EuroLeague.

2018: Coaching Panathinaikos

In 2018, Rick Pitino became the coach for Panathinaikos of the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague.

February 17, 2019: Panathinaikos wins Greek Cup

On February 17, 2019, Rick Pitino's Panathinaikos team won the 2018–19 Greek Cup against PAOK in the final.

September 18, 2019: Pitino settles lawsuit with ULAA

On September 18, 2019, Rick Pitino settled his lawsuit against the ULAA for $38.7 million, nearly two years after his dismissal. As a result of the settlement, his termination was changed from a firing on October 16, 2017, to a resignation on October 3, 2017, with both parties citing "zero liability."

November 8, 2019: Pitino hired as head coach of Greece's senior national team

On November 8, 2019, Rick Pitino was hired as head coach of Greece's senior national team. He would coach at the 2020 FIBA Victoria Olympic qualifying tournament and the 2020 Summer Olympics, should Greece qualify.

November 26, 2019: Pitino rehired by Panathinaikos

On November 26, 2019, Rick Pitino was rehired by Panathinaikos as the team's head coach on a two-year deal after the firing of Argyris Pedoulakis.

March 14, 2020: Pitino named head coach of Iona College

On March 14, 2020, Rick Pitino was named head coach of Iona College after Tim Cluess stepped down due to health issues. Pitino was scheduled to finish his commitments to Panathinaikos.

March 2020: EuroLeague season suspended, Pitino leaves Panathinaikos

In March 2020, Rick Pitino remained with Panathinaikos until the 2019–20 EuroLeague season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving Panathinaikos at sixth place.

2020: Pitino to coach Greece's national team

In 2020, Rick Pitino was to coach Greece's national team at the FIBA Victoria Olympic qualifying tournament and the Summer Olympics, should Greece qualify.

2020: Iona's performance in the MAAC tournament

In 2020, Rick Pitino's Iona team was 6–3 in conference play but ran the table in the MAAC tournament with four upsets to reach the NCAA tournament, making Pitino the third coach ever to lead five different programs to the NCAA tournament.

2020: End of Panathinaikos Tenure and Iona University

In 2020, Rick Pitino's tenure with Panathinaikos concluded, and he became the coach at Iona University.

2021: Pitino's collegiate head coaching record

As of 2021, Rick Pitino has compiled a 684–282 record as a collegiate head coach, for a .708 winning percentage that is ranked 11th among active coaches and 34th all-time among all collegiate basketball coaches.

2021: Thanasis Skourtopoulos to serve as Greece's head coach

In 2021, Thanasis Skourtopoulos would serve as Greece's head coach for the EuroBasket qualification tournament, while Rick Pitino was previously announced as the head coach for the 2020 FIBA Victoria Olympic qualifying tournament and the 2020 Summer Olympics.

2022: Pitino's NCAA Tournament winning percentage ranked seventh

As of 2022, Rick Pitino's .730 winning percentage in 74 NCAA Tournament games ranked seventh among all coaches.

March 20, 2023: Named Head Coach at St. John's University

On March 20, 2023, Rick Pitino was appointed as the head basketball coach at St. John's University.

2023: End of Iona Tenure

In 2023, Rick Pitino's tenure as head coach at Iona University concluded.

2025: Big East Regular Season and Tournament Championship

In 2025, Pitino led St. John's to back-to-back Big East regular season and tournament championships.

2025: Richard Pitino becomes head coach of Xavier Musketeers

In 2025, Rick Pitino's son, Richard, became the head coach of the Xavier Musketeers.

2025: St. John's wins Big East titles

In 2025, St. John's under Rick Pitino won the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, beat rivals UConn home and away, and posted their first 30-win season since their 1985 run to the Final Four.