Coach K’s disciplined, mentally tough teams can be seen as an extension of his own upbringing. Mike Krzyzewski went to West Point and enrolled in the U.S. Military Academy to receive a quality education, play basketball and become an officer in the Army.
From 1969-74, Krzyzewski served his country, directing service teams for three years and serving a two-year stint as head coach at the U.S. Military Academy Prep School in Belvoir, Va. In 1974, he resigned from the Army having attained the rank of Captain.
When Coach K was just 26, Hall of Famer Bobby Knight, his former coach at Army, offered him a graduate assistantship at Indiana University.