Iowa City Native Takes Over Auburn Men's Basketball Program

A shocking retirement in the college basketball community reverberated through the sport this week when Bruce Pearl, the longtime head coach of Auburn, announced he'd be stepping down just 42 days before the 2025-26 season is set to tip off.

Pearl made the announcement via video, tearfully reflecting on his incredibly successful career, which included being the head coach of four different programs since 1992. You can't write Pearl's story without Iowa, however, where he served as an assistant from 1986 - 1992. Furthermore, his son, Steven Pearl, his successor, has roots in Iowa thanks to dad's time as a Hawkeye.

Bruce Pearl's Career Summary:

Pearl retires with a 694-270 all-time record (truly an unfathomable amount of games coached, when you really think about it). His head coaching stints include Southern Indiana (1992 - 2001); Milwaukee (2001 - 2005); Tennessee (2005 - 2011); and Auburn (2014 - 2025). Pearl leaves Auburn as the winningest coach in franchise history, with a 232-125 record, with two Final Fours in his 11 seasons and a No. 1 seed in 2025, per ESPN.

Pearl was overwhelmed with emotion when announcing his retirement via video:

I've been a part of college basketball for almost 50 years, and the truth is, it's time. I told myself when I got to the point where I could not give it my all, or I wasn't necessarily 100 percent, or I couldn't be the relentless competitor that [Auburn fans] expected of me, that it was going to be time - Bruce Pearl, per the Auburn Tigers' men's basketball Twitter account

Bruce's Son, Steven, Now Assumes the Reins at Auburn:

Bruce's son, Steven Pearl — who has served as an associate head coach with Auburn alongside his father since 2014 — will now serve as the head coach of the Tigers men's basketball team. Steven Pearl was actually born in Iowa City, when Bruce was coaching the Hawkeyes. When his father accepted the head coaching job for Milwaukee basketball, Steven attended school in Glendale, WI.

Such is the life of a coach's son. The family goes where dad goes.

Bruce Pearl's Controversial Legacy:

Bruce Pearl's legacy is made a bit cloudy thanks to a highly publicized scandal involving a basketball recruit Deon Thomas.

While Pearl was at Iowa, he tried to recruit Thomas away from Illinois basketball. When Thomas committed to Illinois, Pearl (perhaps illegally) recorded a phone call between the two of them in which Thomas appeared to indicate that Illinois assistant coach Jimmy Collins offered him an SUV and cash to play for the Illini. Pearl turned over the recording to the NCAA, igniting a firestorm of controversy for Thomas and the Illini basketball program.

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To this day, it's something that has besmirched Pearl's legacy and has made him something of a controversial figure in the basketball world. We'll see how his son, Steven, fares at a program that enters the season with big expectations and not a great deal of time to overhaul the system in place.

Read more about Iowa City native Steven Pearl assuming the role of Auburn Tigers men's basketball head coach on ESPN's website.