After two national championships and four trips to the Final Four, Billy Donovan ranks among the most successful coaches in Florida Gators history.
But when UF athletic director Jeremy Foley hired Donovan in 1996, Donovan wasn’t yet a major name; he was a 30-year-old with only two years of head coaching experience at Marshall.
So when Foley announced his retirement Monday at age 63, Donovan - now the head coach of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder - felt grateful for the chance Foley took 20 years ago.
"He changed my life," Donovan told the Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday.