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Nevada head coach Steve Alford announced Thursday that he will retire at the end of the 2026-27 season.
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Alford, 61, won a national championship while playing for Bob Knight at Indiana before a 36-year coaching career highlighted by five-plus years at UCLA.
“After 36 years, I feel like this is the right time to step away from the bench,” Alford said in a statement. “Tanya and I have loved our time in Reno, and have embraced this amazing community and built lifelong friendships. I want to thank the University of Nevada for the opportunity to lead this program, and I am looking forward to finishing this season the right way, with a team I believe in.”
Alford got into college coaching at Division III Manchester University in Indiana before moving on to Missouri State (1995-99), Iowa (1999-2007), New Mexico (2007-13), UCLA (2013-19) and Nevada, where he is entering his eighth season.
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He is 646-357 as a Division I head coach, including 137-88 at Nevada. He took the Wolf Pack to the NCAA Tournament in 2023 and 2024, and they were nationally ranked as recently as the 2023-24 season.
Alford was dismissed midway through his sixth season at UCLA before taking over Nevada. He won one Pac-12 tournament with the Bruins and brought them to four NCAA Tournaments, including the Sweet 16 in 2014, 2015 and 2017.
He was a two-time first-team All-American during his playing days at Indiana (1984-87). He also won Olympic gold with the United States at the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
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–Field Level Media
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This story was originally published September 24, 2026 at 7:04 PM.