CHICAGO, May 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On October 31, former North Park University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dan McCarrell will be inducted into the Small College Basketball (SCB) Hall of Fame. McCarrell, a three-time National Association of Basketball Coaches Coach of the Year (1978–80), will be honored in Lakeland, Florida, alongside 11 other members of the class of 2025.
“Dan McCarrell’s legacy in basketball is one of excellence, leadership, and unwavering dedication,” said John Born, North Park’s athletics director. “His impact on the game and the players he has mentored is immeasurable. Being inducted into the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame is a well-deserved honor recognizing his extraordinary contributions to the sport.”
McCarrell led then-North Park College to three consecutive national championships from 1978–80. He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1985 and North Park’s Viking Hall of Fame in 1988. He was also named the NCAA Division III Coach of the Decade for the 1970s at the national tournament banquet in 1980. He coached nine All-Americans, and four of his players were selected in the National Basketball Association draft.
“Coach McCarrell being inducted to the SCB Hall of Fame is another testament to what he’s built at North Park,” said current Head Men’s Basketball Coach Edwind McGhee. “Anytime we talk about the history and tradition of this program, Coach McCarell and his teams are our gold standard. This is a well-deserved honor for him and his family.”
As a North Park student-athlete, McCarrell was a men’s basketball team captain during the 1960–61 season. In 17 seasons coaching the Vikings, his teams compiled a 295–159 record and played in six NCAA tournaments, boasting a tournament record of 17–4. North Park’s three consecutive titles are matched only by the University of California, Los Angeles. They remain the only teams to win three consecutive national titles at any level of college basketball. McCarrell’s 1979 team was the first Division III basketball team to win back-to-back national titles.
This marks the ninth class inducted into the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place at Florida Southern College.
North Park University is city-centered, intercultural, and emerging as the model for Christian higher education in 21st-century America.
SOURCE North Park University