Fox Sports host Doug Gottlieb hired as Green Bay's coach, will reportedly still host radio show
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay announced on Tuesday that it has hired Fox Sports radio host and former NCAA point guard Doug Gottlieb as its men's basketball coach.
The former college point guard will continue to host his radio show in an unusual arrangement, according to reports. This is Gottlieb's first major head coaching job. Gottlieb hasn't previously coached on a college bench, but he has worked as a coach on the AAU circuit and for the U.S. entry into the 2022 World Maccabiah Games.
"We are thrilled to welcome Doug as the next leader of Phoenix Basketball," athletic director Josh Moon said, via a statement. "He has been working towards this moment his entire life – coaching is in his blood and he will help us continue to RISE!"
Gottlieb initially interviewed for Green Bay's opening in 2023, according to reports. Green Bay ultimately hired Sundance Wicks, who left after one season to take the head coaching job at Wyoming. Green Bay saw an improvement of 15 wins from 3-29 to 18-14 in Wicks' single season as head coach. The Horizon League program is seeking to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2016 and the second time since 1996.
Gottlieb, 48, played college basketball at Notre Dame for a single season and eventually transferred to Oklahoma State for three seasons from 1997-200. He left Notre Dame after his freshman year when he was accused of stealing and using the credit cards of three fellow students. He's since admitted to doing so in a first-person essay for The Athletic headlined "The mistakes I made, and the price I paid."
Gottlieb went onto to a successful stint at Oklahoma State as a starter for three seasons. He's 11th all-time in career NCAA assists.
Gottlieb's since worked in multiple media roles as a basketball analyst and personality for ESPN, CBS Sports and, currently, Fox Sports. He's courted controversy on multiple occasions in those roles, including offering the "white man's perspective" on an all-Black CBS set featuring Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley and questioning the credentials of ESPN's Maria Taylor to vote for All-NBA teams.
Casey Close, the former agent for MLB slugger Freddie Freeman, sued Gottlieb for libel in 2022 after Gottlieb reported that Close failed to tell him about an offer from the Atlanta Braves during negotiations that ultimately led to Freeman signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gottlieb later retracted his report and acknowledged that it was not accurate.
He currently hosts a nationally syndicated show on Fox Sports Radio and will continue to do so while coaching Green Bay, according to reports.
