History of Sean Miller in Timeline

Sean Miller is an American college basketball coach. He is currently the head coach at the University of Texas at Austin. Before Texas, Miller coached at Xavier University, twice, from 2004 to 2009 and 2022 to 2024, and at the University of Arizona from 2009 to 2021.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles

November 17, 1968: Sean Miller Born

On November 17, 1968, Sean Edward Miller was born. He is an American college basketball coach.

Others born on this day/year

1979: Appearance in "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh"

In 1979, Sean Miller, showcasing his ball-handling skills, appeared in the movie "The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh" which starred basketball player Julius Erving.

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1985: John Calipari Assistant for Panthers

From 1985 to 1988, John Calipari was an assistant coach for the Panthers.

1986: Won WPIAL Title

In 1986, during his junior year at Blackhawk High School, Sean Miller led his team to win the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) title.

1987: Played at Pitt

From 1987 to 1992, Sean Miller played basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, starting as point guard his freshman year.

1987: WPIAL Championship Game

In 1987, Sean Miller averaged 27 points and 11 assists per game, helping his Blackhawk Cougars to the 1987 WPIAL championship game during his senior year.

1987: All-Rookie Team

In 1987, Sean Miller was selected for the all-Rookie team for the Big East.

1988: John Calipari Assistant for Panthers

From 1985 to 1988, John Calipari was an assistant coach for the Panthers.

1992: Played at Pitt

From 1987 to 1992, Sean Miller played basketball at the University of Pittsburgh, starting as point guard his freshman year.

1992: Graduate Assistant Position at Wisconsin

In 1992, after graduating from Pitt with a degree in communications, Sean Miller took a graduate assistant position at Wisconsin.

1993: Assistant at Miami (Ohio)

In 1993, Sean Miller spent two seasons at Miami (Ohio) under Herb Sendek.

1996: Joined Sendek at North Carolina State

In 1996, Sean Miller rejoined Herb Sendek at North Carolina State as an assistant coach.

2000: NIT Semifinals

In 2000, during Sean Miller's time at North Carolina State, the Wolfpack made a run into the NIT semifinals.

2001: Joined Xavier as Associate Head Coach

In 2001, Sean Miller joined Thad Matta's staff at Xavier as the first associate head coach in the school's history.

2002: First Pac-12 Tournament Title Since 2002

In 2015, the Arizona Wildcats won their first Pac-12 Tournament title since 2002 under Sean Miller's leadership.

2003: Lute Olson Pac-10 Coach of the Year

In the 2010-11 season, Sean Miller was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year, the first time an Arizona coach received this honor since Lute Olson in 2003.

2004: Head Coach at Xavier

In 2004, Sean Miller became head coach at Xavier University, a position he held until 2009, and then again from 2022 to 2025.

2004: Elite Eight Appearance

In 2004, Xavier won the Atlantic 10 postseason tournament and made a deep run in the NCAA tournament, finishing with the school's first-ever appearance in the Elite Eight.

2005: Elite Eight Appearance

In 2010, Sean Miller improved the recruiting class at Arizona, guiding the Cats to their first Elite Eight appearance since the 2004-05 season.

January 8, 2007: Arizona Top-10 Ranking

On January 8, 2007, Arizona had its first top-10 ranking in the AP poll since.

2008: NCAA Tournament Elite Eight

In the 2008 NCAA tournament, Sean Miller's 3rd seeded Xavier team was eliminated in the Elite Eight by #1 seed UCLA.

April 6, 2009: Accepted Head Coaching Position at Arizona

On April 6, 2009, Sean Miller accepted the head coaching position at the University of Arizona.

2009: Became Head Coach at Arizona

In 2009, Sean Miller became the head coach at the University of Arizona, a position he held until 2021. Also in 2009, Miller's tenure as head coach at Xavier ended.

2009: NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen

In 2009, Sean Miller's Xavier team was eliminated in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament by Pittsburgh.

2009: Home Winning Streak

In the 2010-11 season, Sean Miller led the Wildcats to their first unbeaten home record (17–0) in 14 years and part of a 19-game home streak beginning in the 2009–10 season.

2009: Last Coached at Xavier

On March 19, 2022, Sean Miller was hired by Xavier after having last coached at the school in 2009.

2010: Improved Recruiting Class

In 2010, Sean Miller improved the recruiting class at Arizona, guiding the Cats to their first Elite Eight appearance since the 2004-05 season.

2011: Ranked Recruiting Class

In 2011, Arizona's recruiting class was ranked seventh, securing three players in the top nine of the ESPNU 100. This cemented Arizona as the No. 1 signing class nationally.

2012: Top Five Ranking in AP Poll

During the 2012-13 season, Arizona achieved its second top-five ranking in the AP poll.

December 9, 2013: Top-Ranked Team in the Country

On December 9, 2013, Sean Miller's Arizona Wildcats became the top-ranked team in the country for the sixth time in school history.

2013: Sweet Sixteen Appearance

In 2013, Sean Miller guided the Arizona Wildcats to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.

February 28, 2015: Claimed Longest Active Home Winning Streak

On February 28, 2015, after Gonzaga's loss, Arizona claimed the longest active home winning streak in D-I men's college basketball. They also won a share of the Pac-12 regular season title on the same day.

2015: Coached USA Under-19 Team

In 2015, Sean Miller served as the head coach of the USA men's Under-19 junior national team, which won a gold medal at the FIBA Under-19 World Championship.

2016: Signed Extension with Arizona

During the 2016-17 season, Sean Miller signed an extension with Arizona through the 2022 season.

2016: NCAA vacates wins from 2016-17 season

In 2016, the NCAA vacated 32 wins from the 2016-17 season due to the 2017-18 NCAA men's basketball corruption scandal, impacting games where players involved in the scandal participated.

2016: Vacated Wins

On December 14, 2021, the IARP ruled that Arizona and Sean Miller were forced to vacate wins including all regular-season, conference, and NCAA Tournament wins in which Alkins competed during 2016–17 and 2017–18.

August 2017: Vacated Wins

On December 14, 2021, the IARP ruled that Arizona and Sean Miller were forced to vacate wins including the two exhibition games in Spain in August 2017.

2017: Ended Run as USA U-19 Coach

In 2017, Sean Miller was replaced by John Calipari as head coach of the USA men's Under-19 team.

2017: NCAA Basketball Corruption Scandal

In 2017, Sean Miller was the subject of an investigation related to the NCAA basketball corruption scandal regarding offers to illegally pay athletes.

2017: NCAA vacates wins from 2017-18 season

In 2017, the NCAA vacated 18 wins from the 2017-18 season because of the 2017-18 NCAA men's basketball corruption scandal. Players implicated in the scandal participated in 23 games during the season, resulting in a 9-8 record for those games.

February 24, 2018: Miller Not Allowed to Coach

On February 24, 2018, Sean Miller was not allowed to coach the game against Oregon, with Lorenzo Romar coaching instead due to allegations.

April 7, 2021: Fired by Arizona

On April 7, 2021, Sean Miller was fired by the University of Arizona after 12 seasons as head coach.

2021: Left Arizona

In 2021, Sean Miller's tenure as head coach at the University of Arizona concluded.

March 19, 2022: Hired by Xavier

On March 19, 2022, Sean Miller was hired by Xavier after having last coached at the school in 2009.

2022: Signed Extension with Arizona

During the 2016-17 season, Sean Miller signed an extension with Arizona through the 2022 season.

2022: Return to Xavier

In 2022, Sean Miller returned to Xavier University as head coach.

2023: Pitt Ranking

As of the 2023-24 season, Sean Miller was ranked as the No. 21 all-time scorer and second-best three-point shooter for Pitt in a career (41.6%).

2023: Sweet 16 Appearance

In the 2022-23 season, Sean Miller led Xavier to a 27-10 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

2024: NCAA Tournament Appearance

After finishing with a losing record after experiencing two season ending injuries in the summer before the 2023-24 season, Sean Miller led Xavier back to the NCAA Tournament in the 2024-25 season.