Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl announced his retirement on Monday. Pearl said in a video that he loved Auburn and would remain in Auburn instead of seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate.
Pearl's son, Steven, is set to take over as head coach for the upcoming season. Steven joined his father's staff in 2014 and was named associate head coach prior to the 2023 season.
Bruce is set to move into an ambassador’s role in the athletic department as special assistant to the athletic director.
"I have been at this for almost 50 years and truthfully as hard as it is for me to say this, I have come to the realization that it’s time for me to step aside," Bruce Pearl said in a statement. "Being the head coach at Auburn has been the privilege of my life."
"Auburn Family, I love you and I hope you understand that for me, it is time," he later added. "Brandy and I are looking forward to the opportunity to continue serving the Auburn Family – just, in a new capacity. War Eagle!”
Bruce Pearl will end his career in orange and blue as the winningest head coach in program history with 232 wins. Taking the program to unprecedented heights, the elder Pearl took the Tigers to two Final Four appearances, most recently in 2024.
An afterthought in college basketball and the SEC, Auburn made appearances in five Southeastern Conference Championships and six NCAA Tournament games in 11 seasons. Auburn won three SEC regular-season championships and two SEC Tournament championships under Bruce's tutelage.
He led the Tigers to their first-ever No. 1 ranking in both national polls in 2022 and a school-record eight consecutive weeks at No. 1 in the polls last season.
Auburn won a school record 32 games in 2024 and earned the NCAA Tournament's No. 1 overall seed for the first time in program history. Pearl was named the NABCA Division I Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year for his accomplishments.
Steven Pearl, who will now take over head-coaching duties, was named one of the 50 most impactful high-major assistant coaches in NCAA Division I basketball by Silver Waves Media the last two years.
Auburn opens the season on Wednesday, October 15, in Birmingham in an exhibition game against Oklahoma State.
Bruce Pearl confirmed he considered running for U.S. Senate to replace U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), who is running for governor, but said he loved Auburn and wanted to stay and help Auburn "be the very best version of what it possibly can be."
"Many of you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate," Pearl explained. "Maybe to be the next great Senator from the state of Alabama. That would have required leaving Auburn. And instead, the university has given me an opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator."
[This story has been updated]
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