Former Georgia coach Hugh Durham retires

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA - Jacksonville&#39;s Hugh Durham retired Monday, ending a 45-year coaching career in which he took two schools to the Final Four.<br> <br> The decision by the 67-year-old coach was announced by the school, and Durham was to appear at a news conference later in the day.<br> <br> Durham finished with 633 victories, 25th in college basketball history. Among active coaches, the only ones with more wins are Bob Knight, Eddie Sutton, John Chaney, Lute Olson, Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Calhoun and Jim Boeheim.<br> <br> Durham was 106-119 in eight seasons at Jacksonville, which was 16-13 this season. He also coached at Florida State (1960-78) and Georgia (1978-95).<br> <br> Dominique Wilkins, who played for Durham at Georgia before going on to a standout career with the Atlanta Hawks and four other NBA clubs, released a statement Monday calling his former coach ``one of the major influences of my life.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> ``Without his guidance, I don&#39;t know if I would have developed into the type of player I became as a collegian, and later as a professional,&#39;&#39; Wilkins said. ``He treated me more like a son than a player, and I will never forget that.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Durham is one of 11 coaches to take two schools to the Final Four, leading Florida State to the national title game in 1972 and Georgia to a third-place finish in 1983.<br> <br> He retires with a 633-429 record. Durham was 230-95 with three NCAA appearances at Florida State, then 297-215 with four NCAA trips and seven NIT berths at Georgia.