Nevada Coach Steve Alford Plans Retirement After 2026-27

Nevada men's basketball coach Steve Alford will retire after the 2026-27 season, the university announced Thursday, Sept. 24, 2026. The move ends a 36-year coaching career. Alford is 724-386 across six head-coaching jobs and ranks 10th among active Division I coaches in wins. In eight seasons at Nevada he is 137-88 with NCAA Tournament appearances in 2023 and 2024. "After 36 years, I feel like this is the right time to step away from the bench," Alford said. He and his wife Tanya said they have loved their time in Reno, thanked Nevada, and said he is looking forward to finishing the season with a team he believes in. Athletic director Stephanie Rempe said Alford "has been an important part of (UNR) athletics and Wolf Pack basketball for nearly a decade, leading the program with consistency, integrity and a deep commitment to developing outstanding young men," and that he helped the program remain one of the Mountain West's most competitive amid significant change in college athletics. Outlets split by regional interest, not ideology. New Mexico-angle coverage stresses his UNM run and the unsigned 2013 extension before UCLA; Nevada-angle coverage leads with his Wolf Pack record and Rempe's statement. He is one of two coaches, with Rick Pitino, to lead six programs to the NCAA Tournament.