Coach Greg Kampe: A coach in all aspects of life
ROCHESTER, Mich. — Oakland University men’s basketball head coach Greg Kampe has beaten all the odds. The story of his life is almost unimaginable until you hear it’s actually true.
Kampe is now in his 38th season calling the shots at Oakland. The 65-year-old trailblazer has guided them through some growing pains and built the program into a Division I NCAA mid-major college basketball power.
The Golden Grizzlies’ boss was born in Defiance, Ohio. He earned dual varsity letters in basketball and football at Bowling Green State University. Following his graduation, Kampe was hired as an assistant men’s basketball coach at the University of Toledo. He stayed there for six seasons before taking the reins at Division II Oakland University in 1984.
From that point, he would register four NCAA DII Tournament appearances. In addition, Kampe collected two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular season titles.
In 1997, he led the school’s transition to Division I. They changed nicknames from the Pioneers to Golden Grizzlies in the process. Oakland joined the Mid-Continent Conference and proved to be successful from the start.
A decade later, the conference was rebranded as the Summit League, which only spelled more success for him. Kampe captured four league Coach of the Year awards after the switch.
His record of accomplishments since the move to Division I is quite impressive: three NCAA Tournament bids, plus one trip to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).
The Grizzlies recorded a huge upset win on the road over No. 1 Tennessee in late 2010, a treasured moment in team history. Additionally, a number of his former players went on to play in the NBA, while numerous others have played professionally in different parts of the world.
Oakland subsequently jumped ship for the Horizon League in 2013. This paved the way for a new regional rivalry with University of Detroit Mercy.
Kampe’s coaching influence can be identified both far and wide. Current Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone served as an assistant to Kampe at Oakland in the mid 1990’s.
Beyond that, Malone’s father is ex-Detroit Pistons assistant coach Brendan Malone, who won two world championships alongside the legendary Chuck Daly.
Kampe is very lucky to be here today. He nearly died from sepsis in the summer of 2017. Amazingly, he recovered after being hospitalized and spending almost a week in the intensive care unit.
To cap off his recovery, Kampe was inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame several weeks later. Aside from his legacy of Oakland basketball, Kampe is known for his extensive charity and volunteer work. He is a coach in the purest sense, a leader who teaches by example.
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
