Auburn Head Coach Bruce Pearl is in his ninth season on The Plains.

He has guided the Tigers to over 150 wins in eight seasons, the program’s first-ever No. 1 ranking in both national polls and a memorable run to the NCAA Final Four in 2019.

Pearl’s accomplishments also include three Southeastern Conference Regular Season Championships, one SEC Tournament Championship and four NCAA Tournament berths with the Tigers.

Last season, Auburn posted a 28-6 overall record - the third-most wins in school history, turned in the program’s first-ever undefeated season at home at Neville Arena (16-0) and earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Tigers finished the historic campaign ranked No. 8 in the final Associated Press Poll and No. 14 in the final USA TODAY/Coaches Poll. They also finished No. 13 overall in the final NCAA Men’s Basketball NET Rankings.

The postseason saw two of its very own drafted in the NBA First Round with All-American Jabari Smith being selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Rockets and All-American Walker Kessler selected No. 22 overall by the Memphis Grizzlies (traded to Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz).

Smith took home National Freshman of the Year honors, while Kessler was tabbed National Defensive Player of the Year. Both joined Chuma Okeke (No. 16 overall in 2019), Isaac Okoro (No. 5 overall in 2020), JT Thor (No. 37 overall in 2021) and Sharife Cooper (No. 48 overall in 2021) as Tigers drafted into the NBA and developed by Pearl and his coaching staff.

Off-the-court, Auburn was one of six NCAA Division I men’s basketball programs to finish in the Top 25 of the Final Associated Press Top 25 Poll and achieve a 3.0 or higher team grade-point average. during the 2021-22 season.

The Tigers were among nine schools to sell out all of its home games during the 2021-22 season.

In his 27 seasons as a head coach, he has guided his teams to the NCAA Tournament 20 times (what would be 21 if not for the cancelation of the 2020 postseason) and and a 616-243 (.717) winning record.

Pearl is the only head coach (football or men’s basketball) in SEC history to lead two programs to a No. 1 national ranking (Auburn in 2022 and Tennessee in 2008).

Additionally, he is just one of three head coaches to take four programs (three at the Division I level) to the Sweet 16, joining Lon Kruger and Eddie Sutton.

He has set single-season wins records at four different schools with the most recent coming during the 2018-19 season when the Tigers amassed 30 victories en route to the Final Four.

Pearl is only the 11th coach in SEC history to win four conference titles in a 10-year span, joining the likes of Adolph Rupp (Kentucky), Billy Donovan (Florida), Nolan Richardson (Arkansas) and Rick Pitino (Kentucky) among others.

Pearl has produced one of, if not the, biggest turnaround in the entire college basketball landscape. Before taking over prior to the 2014-15 season, the Tigers had an average RPI of 191.8. In the past four seasons, the Tigers finished their campaign 16th, 13th, 27th  and 11th respectively in the final RPI.

From 2017-20, Auburn was one of only four major programs to win at least 25 games each year, joining Duke, Kansas and Kentucky.

His teams have been just as successful off the court as Auburn has had 32 graduates in five years – the most in the SEC.

Pearl has tutored the two most prolific shooters in SEC history in Bryce Brown and Chris Lofton. Lofton (Tennessee) holds the career 3-point mark of 431 makes from downtown, while Brown is second at 382 3-pointers.

In the past six seasons, Auburn has the best non-conference record in the SEC during the regular season at 66-11 (.857), while defeating perennial NCAA Tournament teams in Arizona, Dayton, Davidson, Iowa State, Middle Tennessee, Murray State, NC State, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, UConn, Washington and Xavier.

In the final game of the 2020-21 season, Pearl won his 600th career game, becoming the 63rd coach in NCAA Division I history to achieve the feat.

Sharife Cooper and JT Thor became the second and third "one-and-done" players in program history and the third in just two years. Both were selected in the 2021 NBA Draft, with Thor going to the Charlotte Hornets with the 37th overall selection, while Cooper was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the No. 48 pick.

Following the selections, the Tigers have had four players drafted in the last three seasons, joining first-round selections Chuma Okeke (No. 16 in 2019) and Isaac Okoro (No. 5 in 2020). Auburn's four draftees since 2019 matches the program's total number of selections from the previous 25 years.

Despite a canceled postseason in 2019-20, the Tigers still reeled off a 25-6 record and finished second in the SEC standings, marking the third consecutive season Auburn has been in the top four of the league standings.

The Tigers were one of the final two remaining unbeatens in the country (San Diego State) after going undefeated in non-conference play and winning the first three SEC games to begin the year 15-0. Auburn earned its first top-5 ranking since Jan. 17, 2000 when it appeared at No. 5 in the AP poll on Jan. 6.

ESPN’s College GameDay came to Auburn for the first time in program history on Feb. 1 prior to the Tigers’ battle against No. 13 Kentucky, a 75-66 win for Auburn.

Samir Doughty became the first player to garner First Team All-SEC honors since Chris Porter and Doc Robinson following the 1999 season. Isaac Okoro was selected to the All-SEC Second Team, All-Defensive Team and All-Freshman Team. Okoro became just the sixth player in SEC history to be named to an all-conference team, all-defensive team and all-freshman team in the same season by the league’s coaches, joining Anthony Davis (Kentucky, 2012), Michael Kidd-Gilchrest (Kentucky, 2012), Nerlens Noel (Kentucky, 2013), Jordan Mickey (LSU, 2014) and Robert Williams (Texas A&M, 2017).

The 2020 senior class became the winningest class in program history with 99 wins through their four years, ahead of the 2001 class (87). The 2020 class also currently holds the best marks for most wins in a single season (30 in 2018-19) and most wins in a 3-year period (81).

With a win at Tennessee in the final game of the regular season, Auburn set a program record for most SEC wins over a 3-year span with 36. The previous record of 35 was held during the stretch between 1958-60.

The Tigers were especially good during overtime during the season as they went 5-0 in games that went into extra time. In four of the five overtime wins, Auburn overcame a double-digit deficit, including a 19-point, second-half comeback at Ole Miss, which ranks as the third-largest comeback in program history.

Auburn welcomed 150,721 fans inside Auburn Arena for the 2019-20 season. The total is the highest ever recorded in Auburn Arena history.

Auburn sold out of season tickets for the sixth straight time in 2019-20, all under Pearl, to continue the school record streak. Prior to Pearl, the only other time the Tigers sold out of season tickets came in the 1999-2000 season.

The 2018-19 season was arguably the greatest season in Auburn basketball history. The Tigers won 30 games for the first time ever en route to becoming the first team from the state of Alabama to reach the Final Four.

During Auburn’s historic March Madness run in the 2018-19 season, the Tigers became the first team ever to knock off the three winningest programs in college basketball history in succession – Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky.

Auburn won the SEC Tournament title and, with their regular season title from 2018, became one of only three programs to win an SEC regular season and tournament championship in back-to-back seasons since 1990, joining Florida and Kentucky.

The Tigers set an SEC record with 454 3-pointers, a mark that trails only the 2017-18 Villanova team in NCAA history.

Auburn also got after it defensively, setting program records in steals (369) and blocks (190).

After setting the attendance record in 2017-18, Pearl and the Tigers welcomed 138,650 fans inside Auburn Arena in 2018-19, smashing the previously held mark.

Chuma Okeke became the first Auburn player drafted since 2001 and, at No. 16 overall, became the fifth-highest selection in program history as well as the seventh first-round pick all-time.

In 2017-18, the Tigers set what would be program records for 3-pointers made (324), free throws made (647) and blocks (180) en route to their third conference crown in program history.

Because of Pearl’s ability to raise Auburn’s national profile, the Tigers were invited to take part in the 2018 Maui Invitational, the most prestigious non-conference tournament in the country.

In 2018, Auburn received an Academic Progress Rate Public Recognition Award marking the first time the Tigers have been honored since the award began tracking data in 2004. The NCAA annually honors teams earning multiyear Academic Progress Rates in the top 10 percent of all squads in each sport.

Auburn recently secured its fourth perfect APR score of 1,000 in mid-May, something that has never been accomplished in program history.

In the past four years, Auburn men’s basketball has averaged an APR of 995 (out of 1,000). In the previous four seasons before Pearl and his staff arrived, Auburn’s APR average score was 940.

The 2017-2018 squad that captured the first SEC title since 1999 and third all-time featured nine student-athletes with a cumulative GPA over 3.0.

Shifting the focus back on to the court, Auburn has defeated Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Arkansas in the same season twice – something that had not been accomplished in over 48 years in program history.

Known for his outstanding offensive mind, Pearl’s teams have topped the 100-point mark 18 times in his career and have led the league in scoring in 17 of 24 seasons.

Pearl became the 21st fastest coach to 500 wins in his 691st game in Auburn’s 78-74 win over LSU on Jan. 19, 2017. He reached the historic mark between a pair of Hall of Famers, just behind Lute Olson and ahead of Nolan Richardson.

Auburn and Pearl had as high as the No. 2 ranked recruiting class in 2017 before 17-year-old Austin Wiley enrolled in Auburn in December, No. 25 in 2016, No. 15 in 2015 and No. 32 in 2014. The 2019 class was No. 10 at the initial November signing period.

Pearl’s impact is also continually felt in the community. When he isn’t out buying lunch for students on campus or dropping into Auburn sports reporting classes, he can be found spreading the word of Auburn basketball at Auburn Alumni events throughout the Southeast. And if he isn’t there, there is a good chance he is in the stands supporting one of the other Auburn programs.

Pearl and his wife, Brandy, also remain committed to giving back to those in Alabama as they have raised over $1 million in only five golf tournaments at Auburn for Children’s Harbor in Birmingham, benefiting children with serious illnesses and their families.

Pearl started AUTLIVE at Auburn in 2015-16 to benefit cancer patients in the fight to beat cancer. AUTLIVE raises the awareness of cancer prevention and detection white t-shirt sales in 2016, orange t-shirt sales in 2017 and blue t-shirt sales in 2018 along with donations raise money to benefit cancer patients.

An ambassador for the university, Pearl’s selfless community service work and generous stewardship made him one of the most influential public figures in the states of Alabama and Tennessee.

He was given the “Spirit of Auburn” Award in the spring of 2015 and was named “Knoxvillian of the Year” by Knoxville Metro Pulse in 2008 and also received the prestigious “Knoxville Award” in 2010. The UT basketball program also earned the UT Men’s Community Outreach Team Award twice in his six seasons.

Pearl realized a lifelong dream in the summer of 2008 when his country called upon him to serve as head coach of Maccabi USA’s open men’s basketball team at the 18th World Maccabiah Games in Israel. He led the American squad to the gold medal for just the third time in 24 years, toppling favored Israel in the title game.

The Maccabiah gold marked Pearl’s 16th championship during his head coaching career. Pearl has garnered seven National Coach of the Year awards and his teams have won 18 championships with 19 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Pearl’s 24 years of coaching experience covers four stops. He began his head coaching career with a nine-year stay at Southern Indiana, taking the program to the NCAA Tournament each season, going 231-46 (.834) from 1992-2001. From there he made the move to Wisconsin-Milwaukee, taking the Panthers to the NIT once and the NCAA Tournament twice, including a 2005 Sweet 16 appearance. After compiling an 86-38 (.694) record at UW-Milwaukee, Tennessee tabbed him as its leader in 2005 and he responded by taking the program to six straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two Sweet Sixteens (2007, 2008) and the 2010 Elite Eight, which was the most successful six-year run in Volunteers history.

Pearl’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Boston College, as a student assistant coach to the legendary Dr. Tom Davis. After 14 seasons seated to the right of Davis, the 32-year-old Pearl embarked on his own head coaching career. But Pearl’s first break came during his undergraduate career at BC when Davis offered him a position of student assistant in 1978. In 1981, the Eagles won the Big East Conference championship and reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. The following season, BC advanced to the Elite Eight.

When Davis moved on to Stanford in 1982, Pearl joined his staff as an assistant coach and then, at the age of 23, was promoted to associate head coach for the Cardinal. While in Palo Alto, Calif., they ended a streak of 20 consecutive losing seasons with a 19-12 overall record in 1983-84, laying the groundwork for a resurgence in Stanford basketball. During that time, they recruited four players who were drafted by the NBA, including Todd Lichti, who finished his career as Stanford’s all-time leading scorer with 2,336 career points.

After four seasons on the West Coast, Pearl followed Davis to Iowa in 1986. Over the course of the next six seasons, the Hawkeyes received five NCAA Tournament berths while compiling a 129-63 overall record. In 1987, the Hawkeyes recorded a 30-5 mark and advanced to the Elite Eight before falling to UNLV. And in 1988, Pearl was recognized as one of the top Division I assistants in the country by Basketball Weekly while helping direct the Hawkeyes to the Sweet Sixteen.

His six seasons in Iowa City helped produce 11 NBA draft picks for the Hawkeyes, including Brad Lohaus, Kevin Gamble, B.J. Armstrong, Roy Marble and Acie Earl.

Pearl’s first head coaching opportunity came at Southern Indiana, a Division II school located in Evansville, Ind.

A native of Boston, Mass., Pearl received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Boston College in 1982, graduating cum laude. Pearl has two daughters: Jacqui and Leah, two sons: Steven and Michael, one granddaughter: Chaya and one grandson: Jaden. He is married to the former Brandy Miller of Sevierville, Tenn.