Next Time You’re In Durham, You Can Take A Ride On The Coach K Highway

We thought that this had already been arranged, but apparently not. No matter, it is now: The Coach K Highway has been officially approved.

It’s a three-mile stretch of 751 that Mike Krzyzewski and his family have driven down for decades to get to campus. Needless to say, it’s well-deserved. Even if Coach K had not won 1,129 games, five national championships and won gold in three Olympics, for a coach to stay in the same job for 43 years is highly unusual.

Most coaches get fired and to be fair, a lot of people wanted to fire the man after his second and third seasons. But fortunately Tom Butters stood by his guy. And of course pro teams made runs at him, notably the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The fact that he showed such loyalty deserves recognition all by itself.

For his part, Krzyzewski said this about the honor in a statement: “This recognition means a great deal to me and my family and is something that we will take great pride in for years to come. As much as we love Duke, we love Durham. We’ve called Durham home for 43 years. We raised our children here, and now my grandchildren have had the opportunity to grow up here. The stretch of road that will be recognized is especially meaningful to me and my family, as it is a route we drove many times to and from Duke’s campus for more than four decades.”