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Auburn basketball hires former Vol as head coach after Bruce Pearl retires
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- Auburn basketball hires former Vol as head coach after Bruce Pearl retires
Former Tennessee men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl announced his retirement on Monday. He served as the Vols' head coach from 2005-11.
Pearl compiled a 145–61 (65–31 SEC) record in six seasons at Tennessee. He guided the Vols to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight (2010) and two Sweet 16 appearances (2007-08). Tennessee won the SEC regular-season championship in 2008.
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Pearl was a two-time SEC Coach of the Year (2006, 2008) during his tenure at Tennessee.
He served as Auburn's head coach from 2014-25, compiling a 244–123 (112–83 SEC) record. Pearl made two NCAA Tournament Final Four appearances (2019, 2025), three SEC regular-season championships (2018, 2022, 2025) and two SEC Tournament titles (2019, 2024) with the Tigers.
He finished his head coaching career with a 706–268 record.
Following his retirement, Auburn announced former Vol Steven Pearl as the Tigers' next head coach.
"I'm incredibly grateful to President Dr. Roberts, Athletics Director John Cohen, and the entire Auburn leadership team for entrusting me with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Steven Pearl said . "In a sense, I've spent my lifetime preparing for this moment, learning from one of the best in BP, and building a foundation rooted in character, hard work, and team-first values. We're not starting over — we're building forward, with the same principles that have made Auburn Basketball elite. I'm honored to lead this program, and I'm ready to rise to the moment."
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Steven Pearl played at Tennessee from 2008-11.
More: Bruce Pearl reflects on his time with Mike Hamilton
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This article originally appeared on Vols Wire: Bruce Pearl retires, former Vol named basketball head coach at Auburn
