Bucknell's Flannery to retire

Apr 18, 2008 - 3:05 PM LEWISBURG, Pennsylvania (Ticker) -- Pat Flannery will retire as Bucknell men's basketball coach, effective July 1, the school announced Friday.

The most successful coach in Patriot League history, Flannery will assume a new fundraising position within the university's office of development.

Flannery posted a 234-178 mark in 14 seasons at his alma mater and owns an overall record of 329-221. His 125 conference wins at Bucknell are a Patriot League record.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to have had the opportunity to coach outstanding young scholar athletes here at my alma mater for 14 years," said Flannery, a 1980 graduate of Bucknell.

Flannery is perhaps best known for orchestrating a 64-63 upset of third-seeded Kansas in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The next season, Flannery's team repeated as Patriot League champions, earned a No. 9 seed and defeated Arkansas, 59-55, in the opening round of the tournament.

They are the only two wins by a Patriot League team in the NCAA Tournament.

"Coach Flannery's decision to retire as head coach is a tremendous loss to our basketball program," Bucknell president Brian Mitchell said. "At the same time, the national respect he has earned as a coach, as a leader, and as an alumnus of the university will be an extraordinary asset to his alma mater."

Flannery did miss two games earlier this season with an undisclosed health problem.

"I have decided it is time to move on to a new phase of my life," Flannery said.