2010-11 DePaul Basketball OLIVER PURNELL NAMED RECIPIENT OF 2010 COACHES VS. CANCER CHAMPION AWARD
Prior to accepting the head coach position at DePaul, Oliver Purnell was named the recipient of the 2010 Coaches vs. Cancer® Champion Award, presented annually to a college coach who has been vigorously engaged in the program’s fundraising, education and promotional initiatives and has demonstrated leadership in the fight to save lives from cancer and embolden the American Cancer Society’s vision of a world with less disease and more birthdays. Coaches vs. Cancer is a collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers coaches, their teams and communities to join the fight against cancer. Purnell’s commitment to fighting cancer is evident on a number of fronts. In 2008, he and his wife, Vicky, created TigerFest, a barbecue fundraiser that engages the Clemson athletic and university community and fan base, and which has raised $225,000 for Coaches vs. Cancer in the past two years. As well, in September 2009, Purnell joined four other NCAA men’s basketball coaches at an American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Capitol Hill rally in Washington, D.C., to urge Congress to pass meaningful health care reform legislation to expand access to care for those facing cancer. Purnell is also a member of the Coaches vs. Cancer Coaches Council, comprised of NABC members, American Cancer Society volunteers and business leaders across the nation who explore innovative ways to fund the fight against cancer and send a powerful message that it can be won. “The American Cancer Society, through its alliance with the NABC, is pleased to honor Coach Purnell for his remarkable work with Coaches vs. Cancer and its commitment to help save lives. Coach Purnell has seen the impact of cancer on his own family, having lost several members to the disease, and he has taken up the charge to do whatever he can to benefit so many other people who share the cancer experience. We salute him and his wife Vicky for all they are doing to further the American Cancer Society’s mission of saving lives by helping people stay well and get well, by finding cures and by fighting back,” said George W.P. Atkins, 2009-10 national volunteer chair, American Cancer Society Board of Directors. The Champion Award was instituted in 1996, with former Missouri coach Norm Stewart receiving the inaugural citation. Since that time, the award has honored head coaches Jim Boeheim (Syracuse); Denny Crum (Louisville); Roy Williams (then at Kansas and now at North Carolina); Riley Wallace (Hawaii); Fran Dunphy (then at Pennsylvania and now at Temple); Gary Williams (Maryland); Mark Few (Gonzaga); Mike Brey (Notre Dame); Bruce Weber (Illinois); Jim Calhoun (Connecticut); and Tom Izzo (Michigan State).
OLIVER PURNELL YEAR-BY-YEAR
Year 1975-76 1976-77 1977-78 1978-79 1979-80 1980-81 1981-82 1982-83 1983-84 1984-85 1985-86 1986-87 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Totals
School Position Old Dominion Graduate Assistant Old Dominion Graduate Assistant Old Dominion Assistant Coach Old Dominion Assistant Coach Old Dominion Assistant Coach Old Dominion Assistant Coach Old Dominion Assistant Coach Old Dominion Assistant Coach Old Dominion Assistant Coach Old Dominion Assistant Coach Maryland Assistant Coach Maryland Assistant Coach Maryland Assistant Coach Radford Head Coach Radford Head Coach Radford Head Coach 3 seasons Old Dominion Head Coach Old Dominion Head Coach Old Dominion Head Coach 3 seasons Dayton Head Coach Dayton Head Coach Dayton Head Coach Dayton Head Coach Dayton Head Coach Dayton Head Coach Dayton Head Coach Dayton Head Coach Dayton Head Coach 9 seasons Clemson Head Coach Clemson Head Coach Clemson Head Coach Clemson Head Coach Clemson Head Coach Clemson Head Coach Clemson Head Coach 7 seasons 22 seasons
Record 19-12 25-4 11-15 23-7 25-5 18-10 18-12 19-10 19-12 19-12 19-14 9-17 18-13 15-13 7-22 22-7 44-42 15-15 21-8 21-10 57-33 7-20 15-14 13-14 21-12 11-17 22-9 21-13 21-11 24-6 155-116 10-18 16-16 19-13 25-11 24-10 23-9 21-11 138-88 394-279
Pct Postseason .613 NCAA Division II Final Four .862 NIT First Round .423 .767 NIT Third Round .833 NCAA First Round .643 NIT First Round .600 NCAA First Round .655 NIT First Round .613 NIT First Round .613 NCAA First Round .575 NCAA Second Round .346 .581 NCAA Second Round .546 .241 .759 .512 .500 NCAA First Round .724 NIT Second Round .677 NIT Second Round .633 .259 .517 .481 .636 NIT Second Round .393 .710 NCAA First Round .617 NIT Third Round .656 NIT Second Round .800 NCAA First Round .574 .357 .500 NIT First Round .594 NIT Second Round .694 NIT Runner-Up .706 NCAA First Round .719 NCAA First Round .656 NCAA First Round .611. .585
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