Kirk Speraw
Encyclopedia
Kirk Speraw is currently an assistant basketball coach for the University of Iowa
Hawkeyes, under Head Coach Fran McCaffery
. He is the former head basketball
coach at the University of Central Florida
, in Orlando, Florida
. Speraw arrived at UCF in 1993, and during his tenure, he took the Knights to four NCAA tournament appearances.
Kirk Speraw was named the 2006–07 Conference USA Coach
of the Year on March 7, 2007. Speraw's first name was the inspiration for the formation of a UCF Basketball fan support group (Kirk's Jerks). Along with 2009, 2nd round draft pick (34th overall) shooting guard Jermaine Taylor, Andrew DeClercq (Florida '95) and Mark Jones (UCF '98) are the two former NBA players that Speraw has coached, with dozens playing professionally around the globe. Kirk also coached current NBA players Joey Graham and Steven Graham, who played at UCF for two years before transferring to Oklahoma State University.
native played at the University of Iowa
under coach Lute Olson
. He also has an M.B.A. from the University of Denver
. He was a member of the 1978-79 team that won the Big Ten title.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
Hawkeyes, under Head Coach Fran McCaffery
Fran McCaffery
Fran McCaffery is an American college basketball coach and the current men's head basketball coach at the University of Iowa. He is the former head of the Siena men's basketball program. He previously served as head coach of Lehigh University and UNC Greensboro...
. He is the former head basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach at the University of Central Florida
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
, in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. Speraw arrived at UCF in 1993, and during his tenure, he took the Knights to four NCAA tournament appearances.
Kirk Speraw was named the 2006–07 Conference USA Coach
Coach (basketball)
Basketball coaching is the act of directing and strategizing the behaviour of a basketball team or individual basketball player. Basketball coaching typically encompasses the improvement of individual and team offensive and defensive skills, as well as overall physical conditioning.Coaching is...
of the Year on March 7, 2007. Speraw's first name was the inspiration for the formation of a UCF Basketball fan support group (Kirk's Jerks). Along with 2009, 2nd round draft pick (34th overall) shooting guard Jermaine Taylor, Andrew DeClercq (Florida '95) and Mark Jones (UCF '98) are the two former NBA players that Speraw has coached, with dozens playing professionally around the globe. Kirk also coached current NBA players Joey Graham and Steven Graham, who played at UCF for two years before transferring to Oklahoma State University.
Personal
The Sioux City, IowaSioux City, Iowa
Sioux City is a city in Plymouth and Woodbury counties in the western part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 82,684 in the 2010 census, a decline from 85,013 in the 2000 census, which makes it currently the fourth largest city in the state....
native played at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
under coach Lute Olson
Lute Olson
Robert Luther "Lute" Olson is a retired American men's basketball coach. He was most recently head coach at the University of Arizona for a period of 25 years. He was also head coach at the University of Iowa for 9 years and California State University, Long Beach for one season...
. He also has an M.B.A. from the University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
. He was a member of the 1978-79 team that won the Big Ten title.
College coaching career
The Knights have reached the NCAA Tournament four times in program history ('94, '96, '04, '05), all under the guidance of Kirk Speraw.- Speraw's most successful season at UCF was 2003-04, when the Knights finished 25-6, received votes for the top 25, won the Atlantic Sun championship, and reached the NCAA TournamentNCAA Men's Division I Basketball ChampionshipThe NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
. - Prior to the 2006-07 season, Speraw had a 209-178 record at UCF, and a 291-199 overall head coaching record.
- Coach Speraw has had success at his other stops prior to UCF. He came to UCF after three years as an assistant coach at the University of FloridaUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
under former Gators head coach Lon KrugerLon KrugerLon Kruger is an American college and professional basketball coach who is currently the men's basketball head coach of the University of Oklahoma. Kruger played college basketball for Kansas State University...
. - Prior to UF, Kirk Speraw was the head coach at Pensacola Junior College from 1987-90.
- At PJC, Speraw led the Pirates to an 82-21 record and three straight Panhandle Conference titles. As a head coach, he was 31-7 and finished fifth nationally in 1989-90.
- In 1990, Speraw was named NABC/Kodak National Junior College Coach of the Year and Florida Junior College Coach of the Year.
- Kirk Speraw is a member of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and is the former representative of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
- On March 15, 2010, UCF fired Kirk Speraw as head basketball coach.
- On April 23, 2010 announced as the new Iowa assistant basketball coach under Fran McCaffrey.