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GREG KAMPE BIO


Greg Kampe completed his 33rd season as head coach of the Golden Grizzlies in 2016-17 and is the third-longest tenured coach in Division I. Kampe led Oakland to six championships in 14 seasons inside The Summit League, including three NCAA tournaments (2005, '10, '11). He became the fifth active Division I coach to win 500 games at one school, finished third all-time in The Summit League with 147 league victories, and earned a league-best five Coach of the Year accolades.

Coach Kampe led Oakland to its first-ever Horizon League regular season championship in its fourth season in the conference in 2016-17, winning the final nine regular season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Horizon League Championship. The Golden Grizzlies won 25 games, second-most in program history, and earned an opening round NIT victory over Clemson in the Golden Grizzlies first-ever NIT appearance.

The longtime Oakland coach was named to the 2017 Michigan Sports Hall of Fame Class on May 31, 2017, joining Mitch Albom, Jon Jansen, Jim Leyland, Dean Look, Andre Rison, Dennis Rodman and Jalen Rose. The induction ceremony will happen on Friday, Sept. 15 at Max M. Fisher Music Center in downtown Detroit.

In January 2012, Kampe became part of the 25th Oakland University Athletics Hall of Honor Class as he was inducted into the Hollie L. Lepley Hall of Honor. He was selected as one of the top 20 Mid-Major coaches in the country by Athlon Sports in the summer 2012 and was named National Coach of the Year in 2000 by CollegeInsider.com.

The Golden Grizzlies have won 66 percent of their games inside the Horizon League (45-23) and have finished in the top three in the league standings in three consecutive seasons, finishing third, second and first during that time.

Kampe guided Kay Felder to one of the greatest individual seasons in program history in 2015-16. Felder led the nation in assists (9.3) and also ranked fourth in scoring (24.4) en route to being named an AP All-American third team selection. Kampe also guided NCAA record holder Travis Bader (2010-14) to one of the finest seasons in school history in 2013-14. Bader made a school record 147 3-pointers and finished with an NCAA-best 504 threes made. Felder Bader are two of five Golden Grizzlies to lead the country in a statistical category over the last eight seasons:

Johnathon Jones, 8.1 assists per game (2010)
Reggie Hamilton, 26.2 points per game (2012)
Bader, 4.2 3-pointers made per game (2013)
Duke Mondy, 3.03 steals per game (2013)
Kay Felder, 9.3 assists per game (2016)

"We have a quality program that turns out talented student-athletes," Kampe said. "We try to do things the right way with good people who receive a good education and then go out into the world and have success after basketball. That's what our mission is."

THE COACH
One of Coach Kampe's favorite quotes is "Consistency is the hallmark of success." Something that he strongly believes and a motto that his programs have been following for years. The Golden Grizzlies won a Summit League-best 68 league games in their final five seasons in the conference, 13 more than the next closest school.

During a stretch from 2009-11, Oakland boasted the nation's best conference record at 34-2. The Golden Grizzlies finished 70-18 over their last 88 games versus Summit League opponents and hold the record for consecutive league victories at 20.

COMMUNITY SERVICE
Coach Kampe has dedicated a lot of his free time to charity and non-profit organizations throughout the community. He has helped the American Cancer Society raise over $400,000, spent time as a volunteer coach for eight days at Camp Arifjan-Kuwait leading a military team, helped with Boys and Girls Club of America, raised awareness for the Oakland County Shelter for Women in Need, and spends countless hours with Beyond Basics, education of inner city kids.

For his efforts in the local community, Coach Kampe was named the 2016 Sparky Anderson Community Excellence Award by the CATCH organization. This award, named after the late CATCH Founder Sparky Anderson, is presented to an individual who has excelled in their professional field, while making a significant impact with charities throughout the community.

MICHIGAN SUPREMACY
The Golden Grizzlies are 134-54 in league action over the last 11 seasons for a .713 winning percentage, better than any other D1 school in the state of Michigan. Michigan State ranks second with a league record of 131-65 (.668), followed by No. 3 Western Michigan (106-78/.576), No. 4 Michigan (106-90/.558), No. 5 Eastern Michigan (83-101/.451), No. 6 Detroit (81-109/.426) and No. 7 Central Michigan (78-106/.424).

DIVISION I SUCCESS
Six 20-win seasons (2008-12, '16-17), eight postseason berths in nine seasons (2009-13, '15-17), three NCAA tournaments (2005, `10, '11), a 2017 NIT berth, and six Summit League championships in 14 seasons is not too bad for a coach that was hesitant when Oakland made the decision to move to Division I. Not too surprising from a coach who was coming off his best season and looked to be a national title contender in Division II that next season.

Instead, the Pioneers changed to the Golden Grizzlies and Oakland spent the 1997-98 and 1998-99 seasons in transition. Then the unexpected happened, Coach Kampe led the newly created Golden Grizzlies to the Mid-Continent Conference regular-season title in their first year of competition at 11-5. Oakland was not eligible for the Mid-Con tournament that season.

OAKLAND MAKES NOISE IN D1 LANDSCAPE
Nothing was expected of the Golden Grizzlies as they entered the 2005 Mid-Con tournament with a sub-par record of 9-19 and 7-9 in league play, finishing in seventh place. Then the unthinkable happened, Oakland upset top-seeded Oral Roberts (25-7) on a Pierre Dukes 3-pointer in the final seconds to lift the Golden Grizzlies past the Golden Eagles and earn their first-ever NCAA tournament berth. Oakland went on to defeat Alabama A&M (79-69) in the play-in game of the NCAA tournament in Dayton, Ohio, and then fell to eventual national champion North Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.

The conference may have changed its name to The Summit League in 2007, but some things remained the same. The Golden Grizzlies appeared in the league championship game in 4 of 6 seasons, capturing back-to-back titles in 2010 and '11 in dominating fashion with six double-digit wins at the tournament and posted a 34-2 regular season league record.

His teams posted back-to-back league record 17-1 marks to set records in wins and winning percentage (.944) from 2009-11. Oakland won a program-best 26 games in 2009-10 and followed that up with a 25-10 mark in 2010-11. The Golden Grizzlies picked up their first-ever top 10 win at No. 7 Tennessee (89-82) on Dec. 14, 2010, catching headlines across the country.

Oakland suffered heartbreak in two games in 2008-09. After player of the year Ben Woodside lifted the Bison over Oakland (66-64) on a last-second 20-foot jumper with 3seconds left in The Summit League championship game, the Golden Grizzlies were invited to the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. Oakland defeated Kent State (80-74) at home in the opening round, but tasted defeat at the hands of another buzzer beater, this time from 75 feet as Bradley escaped with a 76-75 win in Peoria, Ill. The Golden Grizzliesfinished the year 23-13.

The Golden Grizzlies posted a 19-14 record in 2006-07 and once again suffered heartbreak in the league tournament title game. ORU exacted some revenge as the top two seeds battled in the championship game, this time with Oakland's Erik Kangas missing an attempt at winning the game with seconds remaining from three, eventually falling 71-67.

After a disappointing 17-14 regular season where the Golden Grizzlies finished third in the standings, Oakland surrendered an 11-point lead with just over 1 minute remaining in the quarterfinals of the league tournament and fell to Southern Utah. The Golden Grizzlies accepted a bid to compete in the CIT tournament and made a nice run to the semifinals. Oakland broke The Summit League record with three postseason wins and eventually fell to Utah State on the road. Reggie Hamilton became the first scoring champion in The Summit League, finishing at 26.2 points per game.

PRODUCING TOP PLAYERS
Under Kampe's direction, over 30 players have went on to play professionally in the NBA and overseas. Rawle Marshall became the first Oakland player to compete in the NBA, playing with the Dallas Mavericks (2005-06) and Indiana Pacers (2006-07). A 2011 graduate, Keith Benson became the first-ever Golden Grizzly to be drafted as he was selected 48th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2011 NBA Draft. He went on to play with the Golden State Warriors in 2012 and is now cone of the more dominant players in the NBA D-League. Benson finished as a two-time Summit League Player of the Year and multiple Associated Press All-American honorable mention selection.

Kay Felder left the Golden Grizzlies after his junior season, leading the country with 9.3 assists per game, and was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the 54th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, and was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for cash considerations. He played in 42 games for the Cavs, averaging 4.0 points and 1.4 assists per game in 9.2 minutes per game.

Brian Gregory (1987-90) continues to hold the all-time school record in assists for a career, season and single-game, and has now moved on to be a very successful coach at the collegiate ranks. Gregory worked under Tom Izzo at Michigan State before becoming the head coach at Dayton where he led the Flyers to an NIT title and three NCAA tournaments. In 2011, Gregory became the head coach at Georgia Tech. After returning to MSU for a season as a special advisor, Gregory became the head coach of South Florida in 2017.

A TRADITION IS BORN
Kampe joined the Oakland University team in 1984 after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Toledo. Oakland had only six winning seasons in 16 years of competition before his arrival.

After two disappointing seasons where Coach Kampe was trying to build a winner, the Pioneers busted on to the national scene in 1986-87 where Oakland went 20-8. Winning seasons continued to ensue for the final 11 of Div. II and Oakland appeared in four consecutive NCAA Regionals, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 1997, ending with a then school record 24-7 mark. Oakland captured Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) titles in the final two seasons (1995-96, '96-97) and Kampe led the Pioneers to six 20-win seasons during the Div. II campaign.

FAMILY
A true believer in Oakland's mission that states 'produces graduates and champions', Kampe's oldest son Keith transferred to Oakland after two seasons on the Cincinnati baseball team. He played two seasons on the Golden Grizzlies' baseball team (2008-09) and graduated in May 2011 with a degree in integrative studies.

Married to his longtime wife Sue, they both reside in Waterford Township and have three sons, Keith, Branch and Press. Branch played on the LSU football team, while Press played varsity basketball at Clarkston High School before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston.

His late father, Kurt, was an offensive guard on the University of Michigan's 1947 Rose Bowl and national championship football team, which went 10-0. Brother Kurt Kampe III was a two-year letterwinner for the Wolverines in 1974 and `75 as a defensive back.

UNDERGRADUATE WORK
Kampe is a 1978 graduate of Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in business and journalism. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Toledo before accepting the full-time assistant coach's position in 1979.

He earned a Master of Arts degree in physical education while at Toledo. Kampe personally combined excellence as an athlete and in the classroom in college. He is the only athlete in MAC history to earn first team all-Academic honors in both football and basketball. He earned dean's list honors with a 3.40 grade point average at BGSU, and received the President's Award as an outstanding senior student.

PRODUCING TOP PLAYERS
Under Kampe's direction, 27 players have went on to play professionally overseas, including two in the NBA; Rawle Marshall played with the Dallas Mavericks (2005-06) and Indiana Pacers (2006-07), while Keith Benson became the first-ever OU player to be drafted as he was selected 48th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2011. He finished as a two-time Summit League Player of the Year and two-time Associated Press All-American and played with the Golden State Warriors (2012).

Brian Gregory (1987-90) continues to hold the all-time school record in assists for a career, season and single-game, and has now moved on to be a very successful coach at the collegiate ranks. Gregory worked under Tom Izzo at Michigan State, took over the University of Dayton program where he led the Flyers to an NIT title and three NCAA tournaments, has most recently been named as head coach at Georgia Tech in March 2011.

A TRADITION IS BORN
Kampe joined the Oakland University campus in 1984 after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Toledo. OU had only six winning seasons in 16 years of competition before his arrival.

After two disappointing seasons where Coach Kampe was trying to build a winner, the Pioneers busted on to the national scene in 1986-87 where Oakland went 20-8. Winning seasons continued to ensue for the final 11 of D-II and OU appeared in four consecutive NCAA Regionals, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen in 1996-97, ending with a then school record 24-7 season. OU captured Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) titles in the final two seasons (1995-96, '96-97) and Kampe led the Pioneers to six 20-win seasons during the D-II campaign.

FAMILY
A true believer in Oakland's mission that states 'produces graduates and champions', Kampe's oldest son Keith transferred to OU after two seasons on the Cincinnati baseball team. He played two seasons on the Golden Grizzlies' baseball team (2008-09) and graduated in May 2011 with a degree in integrative studies.

Married to his longtime wife Sue, they both reside in Rochester Hills and have three sons, Keith, Branch and Press. Branch is a freshman on the LSU football team, while Press plays varsity basketball at Adams High School.

His late father, Kurt, was a guard on the University of Michigan's 1947 Rose Bowl and national championship football team, which went 10-0. Brother Kurt Kampe III, was a two-year letterwinner for the Wolverines in 1974 and `75 as a defensive back.

UNDERGRADUATE WORK
Kampe is a 1978 graduate of Bowling Green State University with a bachelor's degree in business and journalism. He started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Toledo before accepting the full-time assistant coach's position in 1979.

He earned a Master of Arts degree in physical education while at Toledo. Kampe personally combined excellence as an athlete and in the classroom in college. He is the only athlete in MAC history to earn first team all-Academic honors in both football and basketball. He earned dean's list honors with a 3.40 grade point average at BGSU, and received the President's Award as an outstanding senior student.
 

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