When Mike Krzyzewski’s appointment as Duke coach was announced with a disclaimer in student university paper: “This is not a typo”

Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is renowned for his glory-filled years at the helm of the Blue Devils, which spanned 42 years. Coach K, as he came to be known, led the Blue Devils to 13 regular-season and 15 ACC Tournament titles, 13 Final Fours and five national titles during his reign.

The Duke legend was appointed in 1980 after he turned around the struggling Army Black Knights, but his reception in Durham was less than enthusiastic after he took the job left behind by Bill Foster. In his last season in charge of the Army, Krzyzewski posted a 9-17 record causing his appointment to be questioned by fans.

The Duke student paper announcing his appointment had an iconic headline due to the difficult nature of Coach K's name.

"Krzyzewski: this is not a typo."

The Duke student paper was not the only publication that made fun of Mike Krzyzewski's difficult-to-pronounce name, as even the Associated Press got in on the act.

"Duke basketball fans who struggled with 'Gminski' the past four years have a new tongue-twister to contend with," an AP story stated.

---

Iconic Mike Krzyzewski headline retold

The iconic Mike Krzyzewski headline had a hilarious back story as told by former Duke Blue Devils forward Vince Taylor who was called by the student paper immediately after the appointment.

Taylor revealed the details during a 2021 interview with ESPN.

"I was in my apartment and some reporter called me," Taylor said. "Normally, the school would let you know if somebody's going to call. I don't know how they got my number. And this reporter says, you know, "The new coach at Duke is going to be Mike Krzyzewski." And I just go, "Who?"

"Literally, I didn't know him, and I had never heard his name. So my quote was in the paper the next day. They set me up pretty good. The headline just said, "Who?" Then the article said I couldn't pronounce his name, which was true. But it was also true of probably 98% of people at that time. Coach K even joked about that."

Coach K struggled in his first season in charge of the Blue Devils, posting a 17-13 record in his first season, and losing in the NIT to the Purdue Boilermakers. During his first three seasons in charge, Duke did not reach the NCAA Tournament once, fueling the ire around his unexpected appointment.

Instead of firing Krzyzewski, then-Duke athletic director Tom Butters backed him and offered him a five-year contract extension.

Despite his rough start in Durham, the charismatic Mike Krzyzewski retired in 2022 as the winningest coach in college basketball after making Duke the premier program in the country.