The Top 5 Notre Dame Basketball Coaches of All-Time

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Indiana Hoosiers during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 80-77 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

5 of 5

1989-1990: Notre Dame Fighting Irish coach Digger Phelps confers with a player during a game. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport /

1. Digger Phelps (1971 – 1991)

Overall Record: 393 – 197

Win Percentage: .666

Conference Titles: 0

All-Americans: 4

NCAA Tournament Appearances: 14

Regular Season Titles: 0

Digger is one of the most memorable coaches — if not the most memorable coach — when it comes to Notre Dame Basketball. During his time at Notre Dame, Phelps coached four All-Americans, a category in which he was tied for first place. The All-Americans coached by Phelps consisted of John Paxson, Kelly Tripuka, Adrian Dantley, and John Shumate.

As shown above, Phelps led the Fighting Irish to a total of 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, which included a Final Four appearance during the 1977-1978 season. While at Notre Dame, Phelps came up just short of the 400 win mark (393 wins). As I mentioned previously, Brey is right on Phelps’ tail to take over the number one spot.