Naismith Hall of Fame speech 

Head Coach Herb Magee was inducted with the Class of 2011 into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on August 12th, 2011.

"I am completely humbled to be enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame," said Coach Magee.  "I have dedicated my life to the game of basketball, and to become a member of this sport’s elite group of players and coaches is an honor.”

He completed his 44th season at the helm of Philadelphia University in 2010-11, going 15-12 overall and 10-7 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC). 

On February 13th, 2010 Coach Magee hit a new coaching milestone, securing his 900th win in an exciting 81-77 victory over #7 East regionally-ranked Bloomfield College and just three games later, on February 23rd, 2010 he surpassed Bobby Knight and became the all-time winningest NCAA men's basketball coach (in NCAA wins) with a 76-65 victory over Goldey-Beacom.   

At the completed 2010-11 season, Magee held a 922-366 overall coaching record-all at PhilaU.
 
A coaching icon, Magee set the record for most wins in NCAA Division II men's basketball on February 1st, 2007, surpassing the mark of 828 held by legendary Winston-Salem State Head Coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines. 

During the 2008-09 academic year, Magee received two distinct honors: in May '09 he was presented with the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters at the PhilaU Commencement ceremony and in November '08 he was inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. 

A two-time All-America selection as a player with the Rams, Magee finished his career as the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,235 points. While he has since been passed by Randy Stover (2,369 points) in 1992 and Tayron Thomas (2,414) in 2006, Magee still holds the school record for scoring average in a season when he poured in 29.1 ppg in the 1961-62 season. Along the way, the Rams posted a 75-17 record that included the Eastern Regional Championship in 1963 under Head Coach Bucky Harris.

For his efforts, he was inducted into the Philadelphia University Hall of Fame in 1984 and the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004. Following graduation, Magee was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 62nd pick of the 1963 NBA draft. However, he opted for a career in coaching and he joined his mentor, Harris, as an assistant coach at then-Philadelphia Textile.

Magee, who takes a career coaching record of 907-354 (.719) into the 2010-11 season, took over the head coaching job in 1967 at the age of 25 and guided the Rams to a 21-6 record in his first season. In his second season, Textile posted yet another 20-win season, going 20-5, but it was his third year as head coach that made history.

After losing two of their first three contests to begin the 1969-70 season, Magee's Rams won 28 straight games en route to the NCAA National Championship. In the title game, the Rams defeated Tennessee State, 76-65, and the team finished with a 29-2 mark. For the season, the Rams' average margin of victory was 24.5 points.

In his 43 years as head coach, Magee has taken his team to the NCAA Tournament 25 times. In addition, he has had 30 twenty-plus win seasons and one 30-win season. As a player, assistant coach and head coach at the University, Magee has helped the program to an overall record of 1,144-382.

His exploits as a coach have not gone unnoticed, as his list of awards and achievements can attest. In 2010, Coach Magee was chosen to throw out the first pitch of the Philadelphia Phillies opening game, and was honored by the Philadelphia 76ers at a halftime ceremony.  Mayor Nutter also honored 'The King' in a City Hall presentation.  Other honors have included: the Kodak District Coach of the Year in 1993, New York Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year that ('93, '94,'03). In addition, he has been honored as regional Coach of the Year four times, national Coach of the Year once and Co-Coach of the Year in the Mideast Collegiate Conference twice.  He was also inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1979.

In 2007, Magee was honored at the NCAA Division I Final Four with the NABC's Guardian of the Game Award. He was nominated for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He was also inducted into the Philadelphia Area Small College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002.

Additionally, Magee frequently works with NBA players from around the league on the art of shooting, including Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, current 76ers guard Evan Turner, Orlando Magic standout Jameer Nelson, Boston Celtics Guard Sebastian Telfair and New York Knicks Forward Malik Rose. He is also a popular speaker at camps and clinics, and released his most recent video, "Nothing But Net," in 2001. He has also had numerous former assistant coaches and players who have gone on to take head coach and assistant coaching jobs at other colleges and high schools.

Magee played high school basketball at Philadelphia's famed West Catholic High, where his teammates included former Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Jim Lynam and former Saint Joseph's coach Jim Boyle. Magee received a Bachelor of Science in marketing from the University in 1963 and a master's in education from Saint Joseph's University in 1969, along with an honorary doctorate from PhilaU in 2009. Magee and his wife, Geri, live in Berwyn, Pa.

For more information, including Herb Magee's basketball training and shooting DVDs, visit www.HerbMagee.com.