Hall of Fame
P.J. Carlesimo (1976-1982) came to Wagner College in 1976 as the youngest Division I head men's basketball coach, taking over a school that was new at the Division I level and provided immediate results.
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In just his third season in 1978-1979, he led the Seahawks to a 21-7 record. In that magical season, the team posted a sixteen-game winning streak, beating such teams as Alabama, Seton Hall and Northeastern before suffering a heart-breaking overtime loss to St. Johns with a NCAA Tournament bid at stake. The team would go on to earn the school's first-ever bit to the NIT and Carlesimo would go to became the Athletic Director in 1978, a post he held until 1982.
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After putting Wagner on the basketball map, he moved on to Seton Hall where he helped the Pirates to the 1989 National Championship game before becoming to a head coach in the NBA.
