Before Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari reached the current point of his career, he went through a phase of being mentored by Bob Marcum during his time with the University of Massachusetts. Unfortunately, the latter has passed away, leading the legendary coach to express his grief online.
Calipari has had a successful coaching career spanning over four decades. He began his coaching career as an assistant at the University of Kansas from 1982 to 1985, before taking on head coaching roles at the University of Massachusetts (1988-1996), the NBA’s New Jersey Nets (1996-1999), the University of Memphis (2000-2009), and the University of Kentucky (2009-2024).
His most notable achievements include leading the University of Kentucky to the NCAA national championship in 2012 and being named Naismith College Coach of the Year three times (1996, 2008, and 2015). He has also coached the Dominican Republic national team and the United States men’s national under-19 basketball team.
Throughout his career, Calipari has compiled an impressive record, with 855 official wins as a college coach, ranking him 9th on the NCAA Division I all-time winningest coaches list. He has had 29 seasons with at least 20 wins, 11 seasons with at least 30 wins, and 5 seasons with at least 35 wins. Calipari’s coaching achievements have earned him induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Arkansas Razorbacks Head Coach John Calipari Expresses Grief Over Passing of Mentor Bob Marcum
Just recently, Marcum’s passing was made known by Calipari. In an article written by Tzvi Machlin, the Arkansas coach shared more details about the death of his mentor and close friend.
On Tuesday, Calipari announced that his former athletic director and mentor Bob Marcum passed away this morning. He said that in their final conversation at the hospital the two spoke, laughed and cried about their days with the Minutemen and noted that Marcum was even wearing a Kentucky national championship ring.
“Sad news. Bob Marcum passed away this morning. He and I had a great couple hours in the hospital. Talked about our time together at Umass, he as AD and me his coach. We laughed cried and prayed. He had on the Kentucky 2012 national championship ring. He was a part of everything we accomplished and shared in our joy and our misery! He impacted many and will be missed, especially by Ellen and me. RIP my loyal friend,” Calipari wrote on X.
Marcum, former Kansas Director of Athletics, passed away at the age 87. During his tenure from 1978-1982, Kansas Athletics flourished, winning 15 Big Eight Conference titles in six sports. Marcum later served as athletic director at South Carolina, UMass, and Marshall.
Marcum’s passing will weight heavily on Calipari in the months to come. Fortunately, he’ll have his new coaching gig with the Razorbacks to keep him preoccupied.
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