Former University of New Mexico head women's basketball coach Don Flanagan has been receiving accolades ever since he arrived at Fort Lewis College in 1967. A four-year member (1967-71) of the men's basketball team and Honor Roll student at Fort Lewis, Flanagan played for legendary coach Don Whalen. He was among the college's first-ever Academic All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference performers.
After graduating from Fort Lewis College in 1971 with bachelor's degrees in elementary education and physical education, Flanagan began a 32-year career as the most successful high school girls' and collegiate women's basketball coach in New Mexico History.
As head coach at New Mexico from 1995-2011, Flanagan's teams posted staggering for the Lobos. His record in 16 seasons was 340-168, including a conference record of 150-88 spanning both the Western Athletic Conference and the Mountain West Conference. He led the Lobos to eight NCAA tournament appearances, five conference tournament titles and five WNIT appearances.
From 1978-1994, Flanagan coached girls' basketball at Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, N.M. During his 16 years at Eldorado High School, Flanagan led his team to numerous titles, including 14 tournament championships, 15 district crowns and 11 state titles. He collected an astounding record of 401-13 (.969), one that will likely never be broken. He led his teams on winning streaks of 77, 74, 69, 66 and 60 games, including nine undefeated seasons and an average of 25 wins each season. As a result, Eldorado High School was named the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame Team of the Year in 1987.
Flanagan's honors include being inducted into the Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement in 1997, the Region VIII Coach of the Year (1985-94), the 1992 Albuquerque Sports Hall of Fame Coach of the Year, the 1993 and 1994 Bank of America Coach of the Year, the Albuquerque Tribune Coach of the Year six times, and the Albuquerque Journal Coach of the Year six times.
Flanagan received his first individual award in 2004-05 when he was named Mountain West Coach Coach of the Year and his second award in 2005-06 when he was named Russell Athletic/WBCA Region Seven Coach of the Year.
He retired as UNM's head coach on April 4, 2011. He and his wife Wahleah (herself a 1975 Fort Lewis College graduate), have three sons, Sean, Shane and Brent.
