Iconic college basketball coach announces his retirement

One of the most successful college basketball coaches of his era has announced his retirement.

Butler head coach Thad Matta is stepping down after four seasons, the school announced Monday. The 58-year-old will transition into a new role as special assistant to the school president and athletic director.

Matta leaves coaching with 502 career wins, most of which came at Ohio State. He coached the Buckeyes from 2004-17, going 337-123 with two Final Four appearances. He also had successful stints at Butler and Xavier prior to taking that job.

Matta has dealt with a number of health problems, which was a primary reason behind his decision to step down at Ohio State. He returned to coaching with Butler in 2022 and went 63-69 over four seasons without making the NCAA Tournament.

While Matta’s later career was not quite as successful, he built an elite program at Ohio State that contended for multiple national titles in the late 2000s and early 2010s. That includes a run of five seasons in which the Buckeyes finished with at least a share of the Big Ten title over a seven-year span. He remains the winningest basketball coach in Ohio State’s school history.