Jerry Dunn begins his fourth season as the head men’s basketball coach at Tuskegee University.
Last season his team finished 8-19 overall with six of those eight wins being within conference play. The highlight of the season came TU reeled off four straight wins in the month of January.
During the 2016-17 season, the Golden Tigers finished 14-13 overall and 9-9 in Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) play. They made it to the quarterfinals of the SIAC Tournament, before falling to eventual champion - Stillman. During the year, Dunn coached a pair of freshman - James Eads and Austin Cherry - who won SIAC weekly awards.
In his first season, Dunn and the Golden Tigers finished the year 15-13 overall, and 11-9 in SIAC play.
Dunn has more than 30 years of combined experience as a men’s basketball head coach, associate head coach and assistant coach of NBA and Division I men’s basketball programs. He has a successful track record of recruiting, scouting and developing young talent. He is committed to the academic success of his players. He achieved an average 98 percent graduation rate per season, with several students continuing a career in both U.S. and international professional basketball leagues.
Dunn served with the New York Knicks from 2012 and was instrumental in the team advancing to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Dunn created and implemented individual workouts for on court skill development. He also was an instructor for the Tim Grgurich NBA Skills Development Camp.
Prior to arriving at Michigan, Dunn spent four years serving as an assistant coach with Beilein at West Virginia (2004-07). During his four-year stay with the Mountaineers, Dunn helped West Virginia to three straight 20-plus win seasons, two NCAA Tournament appearances, including advancing to the Elite Eight in 2005 and the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2006. He also helped West Virginia to two Postseason NIT appearances, where the Mountaineers won the title in 2007.
Dunn is known most for his work in the Big Ten after spending 20 years at Penn State, including eight as head coach of the Nittany Lions. Dunn was named the 10th head coach in program history on September 6, 1995, after spending the previous 12 seasons as an assistant coach under Bruce Parkhill.
As a head coach at Penn State (1996-2003), four of Dunn's teams reached postseason play, with appearances in the 1996 and 2001 NCAA Tournaments, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2001. The Nittany Lions advanced to the NIT Championship game in 1998 and the semifinals in 2000. Dunn became the fastest coach in Penn State history to reach 50 and 100 career victories. He posted 13 wins over Top 25 teams, including seven versus Top 10 and three versus Top 5 squads. Dunn compiled a 117-121 overall record during his eight seasons as head coach. During his first three years as a head coach, Dunn's programs went 48-0 at home.
Dunn had six players award All-Big Ten Conference honors - Calvin Booth (1999, second team), Dan Earl (1999, third team), Sharif Chamblis (2002, '03, honorable mention), Titus Ivory (2001, third team), Gyasi Cline-Heard (2001, third team), Pete Lisicky (1997, second team; 1998, third team), Jarrett Stephens (2000 first team), Joe Crispin (2001 first team) and Brandon Watkins (2003 honorable mention). In addition to his All-Big Ten selection, Calvin Booth, who plays for the NBA's Washington Wizard, was also the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year during the 1998 season.
In addition to his honored players on the court, Dunn also had 17 Academic All-Big Ten certificates - Dan Earl (1996, '99), Ken Krimmel (2000, '01, '02), Pete Lisicky (1996, '97, '98), Tim McGovern (2000), Jeremy Metzger (1996, '97), Chris Rogers (1996), Tyler Smith (2000, '01, '02) and B.J. Vossekuil (2001, '02, '03).
In his first season as head coach, Dunn guided Penn State to just its eighth 20-win season after closing with a 21-7 overall mark. The Nittany Lions closed with a 12-6 record in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for second. Earning a No. 5 seed in the East Regional at the 1996 NCAA Tournament, the Nittany Lions were eliminated in the first round by Arkansas, 86-80. For his efforts that season he was named the NABC District 3 Coach of the Year.
During the 1997-98 season, Penn State closed with a 19-13 record including a perfect 16-0 mark at home - it's third straight undefeated home season. The Nittany Lions closed 8-8 in the Big Ten and received a bid to the Postseason NIT. Penn State eventually advanced to the championship game in Madison Square Garden in New York City and faced Big Ten rival Minnesota. In closely contested game without All-Big Ten first team forward Jarrett Stephens, who suffered a knee injury in the semifinal against Georgia, the Nittany Lions fell short of the title with a 79-72 loss to the Gophers.
Two years later, Penn State was back in the Postseason NIT after posting a 19-16 record in the 1999-2000 season. The Nittany Lions once again advanced to the final four at Madison Square Garden, but dropped a 73-52 decision to Notre Dame to drop to the consolation game. Penn State went on to defeat N.C. State, 74-72 in the consolation game.
In one of his most successful seasons with the Nittany Lions, Dunn commanded an impressive team throughout the 2000-01 season. With an 11-4 start to the season, the Nittany Lions posted wins over nationally ranked Kentucky and Temple. Closing the tough Big Ten season with a 7-9 record, Penn State edged No. 2-ranked Michigan State, 65-62, in the quarterfinal of Big Ten Tournament, to reach the semifinals and record the highest-ranking victory ever in the program's history.
After losing to eventual Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa in the semifinal, the Nittany Lions were able to receive a bid to the 2001 NCAA Tournament with a No. 7 seed in the South Regional. Penn State went on to defeat Providence, 69-59, and No. 2 seeded North Carolina, 82-74, to reach the program's first ever Sweet 16 appearance. In a hard fought game Penn State was eliminated by Temple 84-72.
He began his coaching career at George Mason in 1977 as a volunteer assistant, where he was eventually promoted to a part-time assistant. He was promoted to a full-time assistant coach in 1980.
During his coaching career Dunn served as head coach of the 2001 USA Basketball Team that won the bronze medal at the World University Games in China and was an assistant coach of the 1999 USA Basketball 21-and-under squad that won a silver medal at the Junior World Championships in Portugal.
A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Dunn is a 1981 graduate of George Mason with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. He played basketball at Casper (Wyo.) Junior College, earning an associate degree, before heading to George Mason.
He and his wife, Gwendolyn, have three children Nicole, Taylor and Morgan.
