Player, Coach

High School: Bethlehem Liberty, Class of 1948

College(s): Lafayette College

Background: Pete might best be remembered as the legendary basketball coach at Princeton University and the architect of the often imitated ‘Princeton Offense’. But long before his coaching career, Pete had a reputation as one of the best players to ever come off the playgrounds of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. As a senior at Bethlehem Liberty High School, Pete was named first team All-State in 1948. He played collegiate basketball at nearby Lafayette College for Coach Butch Van Breda Kolff who became his lifelong mentor. In 1958, Carril became the head boys basketball coach at Reading High School until 1966 with a 145-42 record and won 2 PIAA District 3 titles. In 1966 Pete was named the head coach at Lehigh University where he went 11-12 in his one season. He then succeeded Van Breta Kolff at Princeton University and began Carril’s 29 year career with the Tigers. His Princeton record was 514-261 and included 13 Ivy League championships, 11 NCAA Tournaments and 2 NIT bids. The Tigers won the NIT championship in 1975. His Princeton teams led the nation in scoring defense for 14 seasons. He nearly upset No. 1 ranked Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 1989 before losing 50-49. Princeton did upset defending national champion UCLA in the first round of the 1996 NCAA Tournament 43-41 in what is considered one of the greatest upsets of all time. Carril was an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings in the NBA for ten years until his retirement in 2006. He is a member of the Reading High School Hall of Fame, the Princeton University Hall of Fame, the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Additionally, he was inducted into the Berks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.