Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski was the latest to join the 800-win club when his Blue Devils beat North Carolina State March 1, 87-86.

Krzyzewski became the sixth Division I men’s coach to reach the milestone and is now 800-264 in his 33^rd season.

“It is hard to put it in perspective because … you’re coaching this team, and it’s more important what this team is doing than what you’ve done with other teams,” he said. The game was a thriller, capped by a 14-5 run and senior DeMarcus Nelson’s two free throws with a minute to go.

Krzyzewski began coaching at Duke in 1980 after coaching stints as a graduate assistant under Bob Knight at Indiana and as head coach at his alma mater, Army. Before beginning his coaching career, Krzyzewski served in the army for five years.

Duke began seeing success under Krzyzewski with an NCAA tournament bid in 1984, followed in 1986 by an NCAA-record 37 victories, a school-record (at the time) 21-game winning streak and an appearance in the championship game. After another loss in the championship game in 1990, Krzyzewski finally earned his first national title in 1991 with a 72-65 victory over Kansas. It was also Duke’s first national basketball championship.

Krzysewski’s team repeated the feat in the 1992 championship game and lost to Arkansas in the 1993 title matchup, 76-72. He won a third national title in 2001, the same season Duke named Cameron Indoor Stadium’s court in his honor. A few years later, the school named its Center for Athletic Excellence after the coach.

Recognized with numerous coach of the year awards and other honors, Krzyzewski was inducted into the Naismith memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 on his first ballot.

“My mom always told me to associate myself with great people and great institutions. I’ve tried to do that at the United States Military Academy and at Duke University, two of the great institutions in the world. As a result, I’ve been around some amazing people,” he said at the induction ceremony. “I never thought I’d be worthy enough to be in the Basketball Hall of Fame. It’s not anything you set out trying to achieve. Basically, you go about your business and try to be as good as you can be all the time. Again, I get back to coaching great players and being with great assistants. They bring out the best in you.” 

He is currently coaching Team USA for the 2008 Olympics. He led the US team to a bronze medal at the 1990 World Championships and a silver medal at the Goodwill Games the same year.