Bob Huggins’ family shared a health update this week as the former Cincinnati men’s basketball coach prepares to be honored during Homecoming week.
Huggins is set to be inducted Friday evening into the James P. Kelly UC Athletics Hall of Fame, but Cincinnati said he will not be speaking with the media that night, and no other media requests are being taken.
In a statement released by the Huggins family, they said he “is living with a progressive cognitive condition that has begun to affect his memory and aspects of his daily life.” The family said it had kept the matter private for several months, but felt this was the right time to make it public as he is about to be recognized by the University of Cincinnati.
The family also pointed to the broader impact of his career, saying that his biggest legacy has gone beyond “wins, championships, and the basketball court.” Their statement referenced his coaching stops at Walsh University, Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia, and said his “defining passion” has always been the players he coached, the relationships he formed, and the lives he helped shape. It added that former players have benefited from his “leadership as a coach, but also from his mentorship, loyalty, and lifelong friendship.”
Cincinnati Athletics also issued a statement welcoming Huggins and his family back to campus for the Hall of Fame induction. UC called him “undoubtedly one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history.”
The school’s statement said Huggins “restored Cincinnati basketball to national prominence, ignited a passion for the Bearcats throughout our city, and left an indelible mark on generations of student-athletes.” UC added its support for Huggins and his family “as they navigate this next chapter together.”
Huggins remains the Bearcats’ all-time leader in men’s basketball coaching wins with 398.
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