Duke's Basketball Team and Coach Mike Krzyzewski Visit Fort Bragg

From morning physical training runs, obstacle courses, to leadership talks, the Duke Blue Devils coach, Mike Krzyzewski (pronounced Sha-shef-ski), was at Fort Bragg yesterday interacting with soldiers. Many do not realize he served in the Army from 1969 to 1974 after graduating from the U.S. Military at West Point.

According to the Academy of Achievement website, Mike showed enthusiasm for all sports at an early age, but by high school his focus was basketball. As a high school athlete, he made an impression on West Point's coach Bob Knight and was recruited to play for the United States Military Academy team at West Point, where he became captain of the basketball team.

During his military service, he coached service teams and served for two years as head coach at the U.S. Military Academy Prep School at Belvoir, Virginia. After resigning from the service with the rank of Captain in 1974, Krzyzewski worked as a graduate assistant to his old Army coach, Bob Knight, at Indiana University. The following year, he returned to West Point as Head Coach. In 1980, he accepted an invitation to become Head Coach at Duke University, where he has remained. The first three seasons, were disappointing, but over the next few years "Coach K.," as he is often called, led the Duke program through a remarkable turnaround. In 1984, Krzyzewski led his Blue Devils into the NCAA tournament for the first time.

To see photos and read about his time at Fort Bragg yesterday, check out today's Fayetteville Observer news report.