SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Jim Boeheim’s coaching career has come to an end after 47 years leading the Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team, Syracuse University announced Wednesday evening.

Adrian Autry will be promoted to head coach. Autry has been an assistant on Boeheim’s staff since 2011.

The announcement of Boeheim’s departure came several hours following a post-game news conference after Syracuse lost in the second round of the ACC Tournament to Wake Forest, 77-74.

In that news conference Boeheim was asked if he was going to retire, he said several times, “it was up to the university/”

Boeheim was the head coach at Syracuse for 47 seasons, winning one national championship in 2003. His teams made 35 NCAA appearances including five Final Fours. Boeheim ranks second in career coaching victories with 1,115, second to his friend Mike Krzyzewski who has 1,202 wins.

A native of Lyons, NY, Boeheim arrived on campus in 1962 as student-athlete, staying on as an assistant basketball coach, before becoming head coach in 1976.

Pictures of Jim Boeheim over the years

Credit: Getty Images

“There is no doubt in my mind that without Jim Boeheim, Syracuse Basketball would not be the powerhouse program it is today,” says Chancellor Kent Syverud. “Jim has invested and dedicated the majority of his life to building this program, cultivating generations of student-athletes and representing his alma mater with pride and distinction. I extend my deep appreciation and gratitude to an alumnus who epitomizes what it means to be ‘Forever Orange.’”

Syracuse Community Reaction’s to Boeheim’s retirement

On Twitter, Boeheim’s son Jimmy shared his feelings about his dad’s retirement, revealing he’s not only proud but is happy to have had so many great memories to “last a lifetime.”

Other’s like former Syracuse University Basketball player and 2003 champion, Josh Pace, tweeted that it’s a sad day for Syracuse basketball but he’s very proud to “be apart of the strong Syracuse history, and to have played for a legendary coach.”

Even ESPN’s own Kevin Connors tweeted a heartfelt response to the news saying “it’s impossible to put into words” what Boeheim meant to Syracuse Basketball.

Even though Boeheim is retiring, his legacy will live forever, as according to Boeheim’s Army on Twitter, he not only has been a “coach, role model, friend, mentor, hall of famer, fighter, a uniter of people,” but he has given “everything to Syracuse and the people here.”

Boeheim’s award-winning career

In addition to the national title he and the 2003 team brought home during his 47 years as Syracuse’s head coach, the Orange has made 35 trips to the NCAA Tournament, including Final Four appearances in 1987, 1996, 2003, 2013, and 2016. Boeheim, a four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, has been honored as National Association of Basketball Coaches District II Coach of the Year 10 times and United States Basketball Writers Association District II Coach of the Year on five occasions.

“I have spent my entire career surrounded by the biggest and best names in professional and intercollegiate athletics. Few people are on the same playing field as Coach Boeheim…Jim Boeheim is synonymous with excellence, grit and determination. Jim is a rare breed of coach, building a program that is among the best in college basketball for nearly five decades. I am incredibly grateful for what he has done for Syracuse Basketball, Syracuse Athletics and Syracuse University as a whole.”

John Wildhack, Director of Athletics

“There have been very few stronger influential forces in my life than Syracuse University and Jim Boeheim. They have both played such important roles and without either of them, I am certain I would not have this incredible opportunity before me…I have spent much of my time in the game of basketball learning from Jim and am so grateful to him for preparing me to carry on the winning tradition that is Orange Basketball. It’s hard to imagine a world without him on the bench, but together with our coaches, student-athletes and fans, we will build on decades of success as a winning program.”

Adrian Autry

At Syracuse, Autry has worked closely with eventual NBA draft picks Jerami Grant, Tyler Ennis, Oshae Brissett, Tyler Lydon and Chris McCullough. Grant has enjoyed tremendous success in the NBA, while Lydon, McCullough and additional Autry protégés C.J. Fair and Andrew White have excelled in the NBA G-League.

Autry coaches the Syracuse forwards and recruits all positions for the Orange. Syracuse has played in the NCAA Tournament in seven of his 12 campaigns as an assistant, including Final Four trips in 2013 and 2016. In November 2016, Autry was honored as a Syracuse LetterWinner of Distinction and in 2017 he received the prestigious Vic Hanson Award from the Hardwood Club.

Autry and his wife, Andrea, reside in Jamesville, with a son, Trey, and a daughter, Nina. They are also parents of a daughter, Aliyah, and a son Adrian Jr., both who graduated from Syracuse.