| Wins against Kentucky - 0 | Losses against Kentucky - 1 |
Alma Mater: Montclair State [1960]
Hometown: Elizabeth, NJ
Date Born: August 10, 1938
Date Died: January 31, 2023
Overall Record: 361-226 [21 Seasons]
| Date | Matchup | UK Result | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/28/1988 | Kentucky vs. California | W | 89 - 71 | Great Alaska Shootout (at Anchorage, AK) |
Obituary - Daily News-Record (Harrisonburg, VA) (February 2, 2023)
Legendary JMU Coach Lou Campanelli Dies At 84
by Shane Mettlin
Legendary former James Madison men's basketball coach Lou Campanelli, who helped spark JMU's rise to a nationally-known institution in the early 1980s with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, died early Tuesday morning at age 84.
Campanelli was born in Elizabeth, N.J., on Aug. 10, 1938, and graduated college at Montclair State before joining the coaching profession, where he eventually became head coach at JMU and then the University of California at Berkeley. He is survived by his wife, Dawn, and three children: Brooke, Racelle, and Kyle.
In 21 seasons as a college head coach, Campanelli went 361-226. That includes a 238-118 mark at JMU, where he coached from 1972-1985 and never suffered a losing season. Campanelli was one of the first significant hires of late former James Madison president Ronald Carrier. Both played an essential role in JMU's growth from a small, nearly all-female school known as Madison College to the sprawling state university with approximately 22,000 students it is today.
"A lot of people have had an impact on JMU athletics, but Lou Campanelli put the Dukes on the national sports scene," said Bill Leatherman, a lifelong friend and former assistant coach at JMU under Campanelli.
The Dukes played in the Virginia College Athletic Association among the Commonwealth's small-college programs during Campanelli's first three seasons in Harrisonburg. After going 16-10 with no scholarship players the first year, the Dukes finished 20-6 during the 1973-74 season and advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Campanelli guided JMU back to the Division II tourney in 1976. Still, it was after the Dukes moved up to Division I ahead of the 1976-77 season that Campanelli's career and the notoriety of James Madison University took off.
"I think in each life somebody comes into your life and has such an impact in your life, and I was fortunate to have Coach Campanelli come into my life in 1972," Sherman Dillard, who played for Campanelli during those years, later was an assistant coach with him at Cal and also was head coach at JMU from 1997-2004, said. "As I reflect on it, I think about defining moments in my life and having the opportunity to have a scholarship to play at Madison College, at the time, opened up so many doors for me. It was a watershed moment for me and I am who I am today because of Lou Campanelli."
The gymnasium inside Godwin Hall became the home of the Dukes in 1972. Still, enthusiasm for Campanelli's teams was so great that a new arena across campus was soon built, with the Dukes moving into the JMU Convocation Center in 1982.
Despite coming to the Shenandoah Valley as an irascible Yankee in a quiet Southern town, Campanelli became a fan-favorite as the Dukes became big winners and routinely sold out crowds at the Convocation Center became known as the Electric Zoo. He guided JMU to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1981-83, just as March Madness became a national sensation.
In those three seasons, the Dukes scored early-round upsets against major programs, knocking off Georgetown, Ohio State, and West Virginia.
"All you have to do is look at what he did, the success of his teams, and the growth of the program to understand what a wonderful job he did," Rich Murray, who worked in sports information at JMU from 1972 to 1983, said. "One of the things I remember is how patient he was with me because I had never worked in sports information. I had worked at a radio station in Waynesboro, but as far as experience in sports information, I didn't have any. And he was very patient with me."
In 1982, Campanelli's Dukes nearly pulled off what, at the time, would have been the greatest upset in NCAA Tournament history when JMU battled eventual national champion North Carolina to the wire.
Led by future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famers Michael Jordan and James Worthy and coached by fellow Hall of Famer Dean Smith, the Tar Heels finished the season 32-2 and were the No. 1 seed in the East Region. UNC had won 11 straight games and held something of a home-court advantage playing in Charlotte. But as the game wore on and the Dukes matched the Tar Heels basket for basket, every non-Carolina fan in the building began to cheer wildly for JMU.
North Carolina eventually pulled out a 52-50 victory. A few weeks later, Jordan took his first steps toward legendary status by hitting the game-winner to beat Georgetown in the national championship. Still, the Dukes walked with giants for a few years under Campanelli.
"Lou Campanelli ranks among the most significant contributors in the history of JMU Athletics," current Dukes athletic director Jeff Bourne said. "Our department would not be where it is today without his coaching achievements and the rise of our men's basketball program to national heights."
"We talk often about the culture of our department to win and do it the right way while also standing on the strength of our passionate fan base and school spirit. Each of those things resonate to his era and to his accomplishments. He was a great coach and an even better person, who stayed connected to JMU through the years. I'd like to extend our condolences to his family and friends."
Campanelli remained at JMU through 1984-85, but following the season in which the Dukes finished 14-14, he left for Cal. In eight seasons with the Golden Bears, Campanelli snapped a 52-game losing streak to powerhouse UCLA, led Cal to three NIT appearances, and took them to the NCAA Tournament in 1990, the Golden Bears' first appearance in the Big Dance in 30 years.
He recruited perhaps the greatest Cal player of all time, signing local product Jason Kidd in 1992. But that season Kidd and other Cal players complained to athletic director Bob Bockrath of mistreatment by the coach. After Bockrath overheard a tirade during practice, Campanelli was fired in the middle of the 1992-93 season.
Still, many associated with those Cal teams, including current Stanford coach Jarod Haase, Denver coach Jeff Wulbrun and Pac-12 Network broadcaster Roxy Bernstein considered Campanelli a friend and mentor in the decades following his dismissal.
"He made Cal basketball relevant," Bernstein said. "It was a program that was an afterthought. There was a time when it was really the toughest ticket in town to get. That was in the heyday of the 49ers and the Warriors were pretty good at that point. The students would camp out and lineup to get in. He made it the thing to do around Cal, go to basketball games."
Campanelli later served as a scout for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets and oversaw officiating in the Pac-10 conference. He also co-authored a book detailing the rise of the JMU program, titled "Dare To Dream: How James Madison University Became Co-Ed and Shocked the World."
Campanelli was inducted into the JMU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1999. When James Madison opened a new basketball arena in 2020, the Atlantic Union Bank Center, donors ensured the large gathering area for Duke Club members adjacent to luxury suites was named the Campanelli Club.
"I will always remember the support and phone call he gave me during my second day on the job," current JMU coach Mark Byington said. "My condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. He will always be remembered in our basketball program for his wonderful achievements and impact on our great university. I was really hoping that he could come see the AUBC arena and understand he is a huge reason why it's there. His impact and success will never be forgotten."
