Oliver Purnell
Purnell as Clemson coach in 2007
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| Sport(s) | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Current position | |
| Record | 54–105 (.340) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
May 19, 1953 Berlin, Maryland |
| Playing career | |
| 1972–1975 | Old Dominion |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1975–1977 | Old Dominion (GA) |
| 1977–1985 | Old Dominion (asst.) |
| 1985–1988 | Maryland (asst.) |
| 1988–1991 | Radford |
| 1991–1994 | Old Dominion |
| 1994–2003 | Dayton |
| 2003–2010 | Clemson |
| 2010–2015 | DePaul |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 448–386 (.537) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
|
CAA Tournament championship (1992) 2× CAA regular season championship (1993, 1994) |
|
| Awards | |
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Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (1998) CAA Coach of the Year (1993) Big South Coach of the Year (1991) |
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Oliver Gordon Purnell, Jr. (born May 19, 1953) is an American college basketball coach. He was most recently the head coach at DePaul University. Purnell previously served as the head coach for Clemson University, the University of Dayton, Old Dominion University, and Radford University.
Purnell was born in Berlin, Maryland, the second of Oliver Sr. and Phyllis' four children. He attended Stephen Decatur High School, where he played on the boys' basketball team that captured the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association Class B championship in 1970. Purnell was recruited to play basketball at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. While at Old Dominion, Purnell enjoyed a highly successful playing career, finishing 18th on ODU's all time scoring list with 1,090 points and leading the Monarchs to the 1975 NCAA Division II national championship. That year, Purnell was selected by Converse as an honorable mention Division II All-American.
Purnell averaged 14.4 points a game his senior year and 13.8 as a junior. He scored 25 points against Randolph-Macon in the NCAA South Atlantic Regional Championship game in 1975. As a junior, he averaged 6.7 assists per game and tallied 181 for the season. He was accorded the team MVP honors his senior year.
Purnell also dished out 474 career assists, which placed him sixth on the school's all-time list. He still shares ODU's single game steal record with eight against Washington and Lee in 1975.
Purnell was drafted in the sixth round of the 1975 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks.
Purnell was inducted into the Stephen Decatur High School Hall of Fame on September 19, 2008. He was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in April 1988.
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