The Finals were not only the battle of two number 1 seeds. But also about the coaches who have led their programs to the Big Dance. Coming into the Men’s finals, Kelvin Sampson and Todd Golden were searching for their first title. The Houston coach, at the age of 69, would have been the oldest head coach to win the National championship. But it was his 30-years younger counterpart who crushed those dreams. A win on Monday also made him the youngest coach since NC State’s Jim Valvano to win the NCAA Tournament at 39 years old. So, let’s look at other esteemed coaches who are part of the lore.

Who are the youngest head coaches to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship? ​

Here are the youngest head coaches to win the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship, listed from youngest to oldest:​

1. Branch McCraken (Indiana): 31 years, 9 months, 21 days. McCracken, a former player for Indiana University, became the head coach in 1938. He would coach the team for 24 seasons, which also had a three-year break (1943-46), as he served in the Navy during WWII. The overall record stands at 364-174 and two NCAA championships, in 1940 and 1953.

2. Harold Foster (Wisconsin): 34 years, 9 months, 29 days. Harold E “Bud” Foster, also a player-turned-coach, led his team to 3x Big 10 championships. In 1941, the Badgers won the NCAA championship and posted a 20-3 record. The team went undefeated as they won the last 15 games, including the finals. His spell was for 25 years, and he registered a 265-267 record.

3. Fred Taylor (Ohio State): 35 years, 3 months, 16 days. Taylor served as head basketball coach at Ohio State University for 18 years. During that period, he assembled one of the dominant teams ever seen in the Big Ten history. Under Taylor, the Buckeyes won a National Championship in 1960, was runner-up both in 1961 and 1962. In the three-year period, the program compiled an overall record of 78-6, including a 68-4 during the regular season.

4. Bob Knight (Indiana): 35 years, 5 months, 4 days 5. Another Indiana University coach who left a long-lasting impact on the program. For 29 seasons, the Hoosiers were accustomed to the plaid jacket to the famed red sweater, as “The General” led them to three national championships, 11 Big Ten championships. The first title in the 1975-76 had its history. As the Hoosiers began the year as the Associated Press’ preseason number one team and did not drop that ranking when they won Knight’s first title.

5. Howard Dobson (Oregon): 35 years, 8 months, 23 days. Before Branch McCraken set the record in 1940, it was Dobson who did it a year prior. The team won the inaugural NCAA tournament in 1939. The Oregon Webfoots did so with a 46-33 victory against Ohio State at Northwestern University. Later, Dobson also coached at Yale and was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1965.

6. Don Haskins (UTEP): 36 years, 0 months, 5 days. He was previously in the top 5 as the UTEP Miners men’s basketball won the championship in 1966. “The Bear” served as the head coach at the University of Texas from 1961 to 1999. During that time, he would suffer only five losing seasons, with an overall record of 719–353. The Enid native also made history coaching the first championship team to start five black players.

7. Jim Valvano (NC State): 37 years, 0 months, 24 days. The man who had the record until Todd Golden broke it recently. In 1983, Valvano would lead the Wolfpack to a championship, and coincidently even his team beat the Houston side. For Coach V, it was a 54-52 win, as his team beat Hakeem Olajuwon led team to an unlikely win.

The Houston legend was courtside this time, as his Cougars suffered another loss. As Todd Golden became the only second Florida coach after Billy Donovan to bring the championship to the program. Also, became part of the lore of March Madness as the youngest coach since Jim Valvano to cut down the nets.