James C. Calhoun (born May 10, 1942 in Braintree, Massachusetts) is the coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team. He has made it to the final four three times in 1999, 2004, and 2009. His teams won two national championships, the 1999 and 2004 NCAA titles, plus the 1988 NIT championship.  In 2005, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. On Feb. 25, 2009, Jim Calhoun won his 800th game when Connecticut beat Marquette, 93–82.

Biography
He was born and raised in Braintree, MA., where he was a standout on the basketball, football, and baseball teams at Braintree High School. After his father died of a heart attack when Calhoun was 15, he was left to take care of his large family, including five siblings.

Early career and education
Although he received a basketball scholarship to Lowell State (now UMass Lowell), he only attended the school for three months, after which he returned home to help support his mother and siblings. He worked as a granite cutter, headstone engraver, scrapyard worker, game-show host, shampoo factory worker, and gravedigger.

After a 20-month leave from higher education, Calhoun returned to college, this time at American International College in Springfield, MA, where he was given another basketball scholarship. He was the leading scorer on the team his junior and senior seasons, and captained the team in his final year, during which AIC advanced to the Division II playoffs. At the time he graduated, he was ranked as the fourth all-time scorer at AIC. Calhoun graduated in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in sociology.

Health problems
On February 3, 2003, after the worst home loss of his career, a 34-point loss to Boston College, Calhoun announced that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. He took an immediate leave of absence from the team and underwent surgery three days later to have his prostate removed. He was released from the hospital on February 9 and within days was once again involved in the day-to-day operation of the program. Calhoun returned to the sidelines February 22 for the team's match-up with St. John's at Gampel Pavilion, only 16 days after the surgery.

On May 30, 2008, UConn announced that Calhoun was undergoing treatment for squamous cell carcinoma. On June 13, 2009, Calhoun collapsed at a charity bike event and broke five ribs.

On June 13, 2009, Calhoun fell during a charity bike event and broke five ribs. He finished the final sixteen miles of the event before going to the hospital.

On January 19, 2010, Calhoun took a leave of absence from the team due to health reasons. Calhoun has a "serious" condition that he wants to discuss with his family.

Personal life
Calhoun and his wife, Pat, live in Pomfret, CT, and have two sons and six grandchildren. They have been married since 1967. They have also purchased a home on Long Island Sound in Madison, CT.

The couple, both of whom lost parents to heart disease, is known for their philanthropy, including the Pat and Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center at UConn and the annual Jim Calhoun Holiday Food Drive, which has raised nearly $1 million supporting food assistance agencies that serve to help families in need throughout the State of Connecticut. In 1998, a $125,000 gift from the Calhouns established the Jim and Pat Calhoun Cardiology Research Fund at UConn Health Center. The Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic Golf Tournament was launched in 1999 and has since raised millions in support of the endowment fund. In 2003 and 2004, Calhoun served as celebrity host of the black tie gala "Hoops For Hope", by Coaches vs. Cancer, a program established in 1993 by the American Cancer Society.  The year 2007 was the first year of The Big Y Jim Calhoun Cancer Challenge Ride, statewide event to benefit The Carole and Ray Neag Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Connecticut Health Center.

For many years, Calhoun has been the Honorary Chairman of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, which has generated more than $4.5 million to fund diabetes research. Coach Calhoun has also served as an Honorary Chairperson or supporter for other charitable programs including the, Franciscan Life Center in Meriden, CT, the Ronald McDonald House Kids Classic Golf Tournament, the Ray of Hope Foundation Golf Tournament, the Connecticut Children's Medical Center and Children's Miracle Network, and the "Character Counts" program in the State of Connecticut.

Recognition
1998 – The Franciscan Sisters dedicated an outdoor basketball area, "Calhoun's Court" at the Franciscan Life Center in Meriden, CT
2004 – Calhoun is the first recipient of an award by the Swim Across The Sound Prostate Cancer Institute
2005 – "Honorary Alumni Award" from the University of Connecticut Alumni Association

Coaching career

High school
Jim Calhoun began his coaching career at Lyme-Old Lyme High School in Old Lyme, CT in 1965 after accepting a sixth grade teaching position in that town over the summer. After finishing 1–17 that season, Calhoun returned to Massachusetts after deciding not to complete the necessary certification paperwork to renew his teaching contract. After one season at Westport (MA) High, he accepted a position at Dedham High School and began building a very strong program. He completed a 20–1 season in 1971.

He went on in 1972 to bring his Dedham High School team a perfect season, going 18–0, and it won the Massachusetts High School Bay State Championship

Northeastern
Calhoun was quickly recruited by Northeastern University in Boston to serve as its new head coach. He took the position in October, 1971, and built Northeastern into the dominant power in the ECAC North Atlantic Conference. He also transitioned the team from Division II to Division I.

The team advanced to the Division I tournament 4 times under Calhoun. During his final three seasons, Northeastern achieved automatic bids to the NCAA tournament. Those Huskies had a 72–19 record. He received six regional Coach of the Year accolades at Northeastern and remains the institution's all-time winningest coach (245–138). Future Boston Celtics captain Reggie Lewis, who played for Calhoun at Northeastern, was a first-round pick in the 1987 NBA Draft.

Connecticut
On May 14, 1986, Calhoun was named the head coach at the University of Connecticut. After completing his first season just 9–19, Calhoun led the Huskies to a 18–14 record in 1988 and a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Ohio State to win the championship. In 1990, Calhoun was named the consensus National Coach of the Year after leading the Huskies to their first Big East championship, the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, and a 29–6 record in only his fourth year at the helm.

Calhoun led UConn to its first ever Final Four and national championship in 1999, defeating heavily favored Duke in St. Petersburg, Florida. Future NBA standout Richard "Rip" Hamilton led the team to a 77–74 victory.

Calhoun led the Huskies to another national championship in 2004, at the conclusion of a season that saw UConn start and complete the year as the No. 1 team in the nation. Moreover, the Lady Huskies won the women's national championship the next night, marking the first time the same school won both titles in the same year. UConn standouts Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon were selected #2 and #3 in the NBA Draft, respectively. Calhoun now holds a 35–12 record with UConn in NCAA tournament play including 4–1 in the Final Four. The Huskies lost in the first round for the first time on March 21, 2008 in overtime to San Diego, but they came back in 2008-09 and advanced to the Final Four before losing in the national semifinals to Michigan State, 82-73 

During the Jim Calhoun era, UConn has an impressive 16 Big East Championships, with 10 regular season titles and six tournament crowns.

On March 2, 2005 he achieved his 700th win at Gampel Pavilion over Georgetown. His friend and Big East rival coach Jim Boeheim won his 700th game during the previous week. Later in 2005, Coach Calhoun was honored by induction into the Dr. James Naismith National Basketball Hall of Fame, fittingly, along with Boeheim. On February 25, 2009, he achieved his 800th win at the Bradley Center, defeating Marquette. 
 

Calhoun was the first coach in NCAA history to have won at least 240 games at two different Division I schools. Eddie Sutton later achieved this same feat.

Calhoun has coached 23 UConn players who have moved on to professional ranks.

Controversy

On February 21, 2009, during a press conference following a UConn win over South Florida, Calhoun had a heated exchange with Connecticut activist/freelance journalist Ken Krayeske. Krayeseke asked a question regarding Calhoun's salary and the state budget defecit. Calhoun said he would "not [give] a dime back." He told Krayeske to "shut up" and said that his team brought in $12 million per year to the university. The reporter had been given a pass despite the fact he did not regularly cover the team. Krayeske had previously been arrested at a 2007 inauguration rally for Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell. Many commentators felt that it was unfair to ask these types of questions after a game and the subject should be restricted to his team and the game, while others pointed out how Calhoun had given a lot of money and time to various charities, including efforts to address autism and heart disease.

On March 25, 2009, Yahoo Sports reported that Calhoun and the UConn men's basketball program had allegedly committed several major NCAA recruiting violations from 2006–2008 regarding the recruitment of Nate Miles, who never played basketball for the school and was expelled for other reasons. In addition, the NCAA has told Calhoun not to comment on the state of the investigation while it is in progress.