View source for Digger Phelps

{{Short description|American college basketball coach and broadcaster}}
{{About|the basketball coach|the baseball player also nicknamed "Digger"|Ken Phelps}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Digger Phelps
| image = Digger Phelps cropped.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Phelps on ESPN's College Gameday broadcast in 2008
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1941|7|4}}
| birth_place = [[Beacon, New York]], U.S.
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| alma_mater = 
| player_years1 = 1960–1963
| player_team1 = [[Rider Broncs men's basketball|Rider]]
| coach_years1 = 1963–1964
| coach_team1 = [[Rider Broncs men's basketball|Rider]] (GA)
| coach_years2 = 1965–1966
| coach_team2 = St. Gabriel's HS (PA)
| coach_years3 = 1966–1969
| coach_team3 = [[Penn Quakers men's basketball|Penn]] (assistant)
| coach_years4 = 1970–1971
| coach_team4 = [[Fordham Rams men's basketball|Fordham]]
| coach_years5 = 1971–1991
| coach_team5 = [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball|Notre Dame]]
| overall_record = {{winpct|419|200|record=y}} (college)
| bowl_record = 
| tournament_record = 17–17 ([[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I]]) <br/> 7–3 ([[National Invitation Tournament|NIT]])
| championships = [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament Final Four appearances by coach|NCAA Regional – Final Four]] ([[1978 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|1978]])
| awards = [[Sporting News Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year Award|''Sporting News'' Coach of the Year Award]] (1974) <br/> [[UPI College Basketball Coach of the Year|UPI Coach of the Year]] (1974)
| coaching_records = 
}}
'''Richard Frederick "Digger" Phelps''' (born July 4, 1941) is an American former [[college basketball]] coach, most notably of the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball|Notre Dame Fighting Irish]] from 1971 to 1991. For 20 years, from 1993 to 2014, he served as an analyst on [[ESPN]]. He got the nickname "Digger" from his friends.

==Early life==
Phelps was born in [[Beacon, New York]]. His family ran a funeral home business in the city.<ref name="rises">{{cite news |last1=Markus |first1=Robert |title=DIGGER RISES TO THE TOP |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1987-03-08-8701180780-story.html |access-date=5 July 2021 |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=8 March 1987 |language=en}}</ref> He worked at his father's business on weekends and during summer. He got the nickname "digger" from his friends.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Porter |first=David L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8tzEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA374 |title=Basketball: A Biographical Dictionary |date=2005-07-30 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-0-313-06197-4 |language=en}}</ref>

==Coaching career==

===Early career===
Phelps began his coaching career in 1963 as a graduate assistant at [[Rider Broncs men's basketball|Rider College]] (now Rider University), where he had played basketball. After a move to St. Gabriel's High School in [[Hazleton, Pennsylvania]], he obtained his first full assistant job in 1966 at the [[Penn Quakers men's basketball|University of Pennsylvania]] in [[Philadelphia]].<ref name="rises"/>

His first head coaching job came in 1970 at [[Fordham Rams men's basketball|Fordham University]] in [[The Bronx]], where he coached [[Charlie Yelverton]] and [[P. J. Carlesimo]], the athletic director's son. Phelps led the Rams to a 24–2<!--26–3 overall--> record in the 1970–71 regular season and a #9 [[1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball rankings|national ranking]].<ref name=bothagre>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JDNWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3130%2C3174900 |agency=AP, UPI |title=Both wire service polls agree -- UCLA is best team in country |date=March 16, 1971 |page=2B}}</ref>

Fordham received an at-large bid to the 25-team [[1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament|NCAA tournament]], where they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen, and won the consolation game for third place in the East regional.<ref name=pnbltz>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KTNWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=u-cDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5203%2C4068882 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=UCLA squeaks by; Penn blitzed |date=March 21, 1971 |page=1B}}</ref>

In May 1971 at age 29, Phelps was named head coach at the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball|University of Notre Dame]].<ref name=ndpnnc>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=g7RVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L-EDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3861%2C1154459 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=Notre Dame, Penn name new coaches |date=May 5, 1971 |page=3D}}</ref>

===Notre Dame===
During his 20 seasons (1971–91) tenure, Phelps' Notre Dame teams went {{winning percentage|393|197|record=y}}, with 14 seasons of 20 wins or more. In&nbsp;[[1978 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|1978]], Notre Dame made its only [[Final Four]] appearance to date. His most-remembered game occurred in [[1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|1974]], when the second-ranked Fighting Irish scored the last 12 points of the game on January 19 to upset top-ranked [[1973–74 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team|UCLA]], coached by [[John Wooden]], 71–70, ending the Bruins' record 88-game winning streak.<ref name=afeecz>{{cite magazine|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1974/01/28/after-88-comes-zero |magazine=Sports Illustrated |last=McDermott |first=Barry |title=After 88 comes zero |date=January 28, 1974 |page=18}}</ref><ref name=iwbone>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=JK5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=P-ADAAAAIBAJ&pg=6363%2C4252118 |work=Eugene Register-Guard |location=(Oregon) |agency=Associated Press |title=It's all over: Irish win by one |date=January 20, 1974 |page=!D}}</ref> He shares the NCAA record for most upsets over a #1 team at seven with [[Gary Williams]]:

{|class="wikitable"
! Date
! Opponent
! Score
|-
|align=right|January 19, [[1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|1974]]
|[[1973–74 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team|UCLA]]
|71–70
|-
|align=right|March 5, [[1976–77 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|1977]]
|[[San Francisco Dons men's basketball|San Francisco]]
|93–82
|-
|align=right|February 26, 1978
|[[1977–78 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team|Marquette]]
|65–59
|-
|align=right|February 27, [[1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|1980]]
|[[1979–80 DePaul Blue Demons men's basketball team|DePaul]]
|76–74 (2ot)
|-
|align=right|December 27, [[1980–81 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|1980]]
|[[1980–81 Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team|Kentucky]]
|67–61
|-
|align=right|February 22, [[1980–81 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|1981]]
|[[1980–81 Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball team|Virginia]]<!-- (UVA) -->
|57–56
|-
|align=right|February 1, 1987
|[[1986–87 North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team|North Carolina]]<!-- (UNC) -->
|60–58
|}

==Broadcasting career==
Phelps began his broadcasting career when he served as a commentator for [[ABC Sports]]' basketball coverage at the [[1984 Summer Olympics]] in Los Angeles. In 1992, he continued his broadcasting career when he provided [[color commentary]] for that year's [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA tournament]] for [[CBS]]. He joined [[ESPN]] the next season and worked for them until 2014 as a college basketball studio and game analyst.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/phelps_digger/ |title=Digger Phelps |work=ESPN MediaZone |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140403013710/http://espnmediazone.com/us/bios/phelps_digger/ |archive-date=2014-04-03 }}</ref>

During the April 7, 2014 broadcast of ''[[College GameDay (basketball TV program)|College GameDay]]'', Phelps announced that he was leaving ESPN. "I spent 20 years at Notre Dame as a coach and now 20 years here at ESPN doing a great job with all you people. And now it's time for me to move forward, and this will be my last time on TV," Phelps said. Phelps added: "It's been a great run. Twenty years is always my target for everything, and it's time to move forward."

==Personal life==
Phelps resides in South Bend with his wife [[Teresa Godwin Phelps|Terry]], and has three adult children. His eldest, Karen, was married to [[baseball pitcher]] [[Jamie Moyer]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Bingham|first=Jacqueline W.|title=Alumni Association to honor Karen and Jamie Moyer|url=http://news.nd.edu/news/7293-alumni-association-to-honor-karen-and-jamie-moyer|publisher=Notre Dame|access-date=July 19, 2013}}</ref> He is a member of the [[Tau Kappa Epsilon]] fraternity at Rider College.<ref>[http://www.tke.org/news/2009/01/13/frater_appointed_to_presidents_council_on_physical_fitness Frater Appointed to President's Council on Physical Fitness], tke.org; accessed January 1, 2015.</ref>

Phelps was instrumental in the restoration of various programs at [[John McDonogh High School]] in [[New Orleans]] post-[[Hurricane Katrina]]. His gifts helped to restore the sports program and helped to launch a four-year Culinary Academy in partnership with the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation and the Recovery School District on December 15, 2010.<ref>[http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2010/12/1st_full-time_culinary_arts_pr.html Profile], nola.com; accessed January 1, 2015.</ref>

==Cancer battle==
In April 2013, Phelps was diagnosed with [[bladder cancer]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9213039/espn-analyst-digger-phelps-diagnosed-bladder-cancer?src=mobile|title=ESPN|work=ESPN.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Daley|first=Kaitee|title=Digger Phelps' biggest victory|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/columns/story?id=5895188|work=ESPN.com|access-date=July 19, 2013}}</ref> On July 1, 2013, his doctor declared him in remission.<ref>{{cite web|title=Digger Phelps declared cancer free|url=https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/9449180/doctors-tell-espn-analyst-digger-phelps-cancer-free|work=ESPN.com|access-date=July 19, 2013}}</ref><!-- 5 years required to be cancer free -->

==Head coaching record==
{{CBB Yearly Record Start | type = | conference = | postseason = | poll = }}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name       = [[Fordham Rams men's basketball|Fordham Rams]]
 | conference = [[NCAA Division I independent schools|NCAA <!--University Division-->independent]]
 | startyear  = 1970
 | endyear    = 1971
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1970–71 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1970–71]]
 | name         = Fordham
 | overall      = 26–3
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1971 NCAA University Division basketball tournament|NCAA University Division Sweet 16]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
 | name       = [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball|Notre Dame Fighting Irish]]
 | conference = [[NCAA Division I independent schools|NCAA <!--University Division / Division I-->independent]]
 | startyear  = 1971
 | endyear    = 1991
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1971–72 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1971–72]]
 | name         = Notre Dame
 | overall      = 6–20
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1972–73 NCAA University Division men's basketball season|1972–73]]
 | name         = Notre Dame
 | overall      = 18–12
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1973 National Invitation Tournament|NIT Runner-up]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1973–74 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1973–74]]
 | name         = [[1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 26–3
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1974 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1974–75 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1974–75]]
 | name         = Notre Dame
 | overall      = 19–10
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1975 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1975–76]]
 | name         = [[1975–76 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 23–6
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1976 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1976–77 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1976–77]]
 | name         = [[1976–77 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 22–7
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1977 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1977–78 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1977–78]]
 | name         = [[1977–78 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 23–8
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1978 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Final Four]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1978–79 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1978–79]]
 | name         = [[1978–79 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 24–6
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1979 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Elite Eight]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1979–80 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1979–80]]
 | name         = [[1979–80 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 22–6
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1980 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|NCAA Division I second round]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1980–81]]
 | name         = [[1980–81 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 23–6
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1981–82]]
 | name         = [[1981–82 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 10–17
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1982–83]]
 | name         = Notre Dame
 | overall      = 19–10
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1983 National Invitation Tournament|NIT First Round]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1983–84 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1983–84]]
 | name         = Notre Dame
 | overall      = 21–12
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1984 National Invitation Tournament|NIT Runner-up]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1984–85 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1984–85]]
 | name         = [[1984–85 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 21–9
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I second round]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1985–86 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1985–86]]
 | name         = [[1985–86 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 23–6
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1986 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I first round]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1986–87 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1986–87]]
 | name         = [[1986–87 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 24–8
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1987 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I Sweet 16]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1987–88 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1987–88]]
 | name         = [[1987–88 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 20–9
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1988 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I first round]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1988–89 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1988–89]]
 | name         = [[1988–89 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 21–7
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1989 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I second round]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1989–90 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1989–90]]
 | name         = [[1989–90 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 16–13
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = [[1990 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Division I first round]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | season       = [[1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season|1990–91]]
 | name         = [[1990–91 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team|Notre Dame]]
 | overall      = 12–20
 | conference   = 
 | confstanding = 
 | postseason   = 
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
 | name       = Notre Dame
 | overall    = 393–195
 | confrecord = 
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
 | overall = 419–198
 | legend  = no
}}

==See also==
* [[List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{commons-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100217084256/http://www.espnmediazone3.com/us/2009/11/phelps_digger/ ESPN profile]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, Digger}}
[[Category:1941 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Basketball players from New York (state)]]
[[Category:College basketball announcers in the United States]]
[[Category:College men's basketball head coaches in the United States]]
[[Category:Fordham Rams men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:High school basketball coaches in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Penn Quakers men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:People from Beacon, New York]]
[[Category:Rider Broncs men's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Rider Broncs men's basketball players]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]