For Saluki head basketball coach Rich Herrin, his career in basketball is about to enter its 40th year the last 11 years with the Salukis but the game of basketball has been in his blood as far back as he can remember.

My father made sure we always had a basketball, a baseball and a bat and a glove, he said. My brother was three years older than I was, so sports were very important to us.

Being three years younger than his brother, and now Saluki assistant coach, Ron Herrin almost kept Rich Herrin from ever becoming a basketball coach.

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From day one, my brother thought he’d be a coach, and I thought, one in the family is enough,’ Rich Herrin said. So my first semester (in college) I was in pre-dental and then I had chemistry and math, and got a chemistry major.

At the time, I said, I don’t want to be a dentist, I want to be a coach.’ That’s what I’ve really wanted to be, but my older brother was going to be a coach and I didn’t want to be the same thing. He was a senior when I was a freshman.

I just made the change and said, this is what I really want to be.’

Rich Herrin began his coaching career at Okawville High School in 1957 and had immediate success, going 22-6 in his first season.

Herrin coached at Okawville until 1960, and in four seasons compiled a 95-17 record before moving on to Benton High School.

At Benton, Herrin continued his success. In 25 seasons, Herrin’s teams won 521 games while losing only 192. In 1966 and 1967, Benton went undefeated in regular-season play, and during his tenure, Benton suffered only two losing seasons (1964, 1981).

Herrin said he could have easily finished his career at Benton, but he had a burning desire to coach and have success at the college level. Add to that the fact that SIUC was looking for a basketball coach, and it equaled a partnership that is continuing into its 11th year.

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I have to give Dean Stuck a lot of credit because he kind of gambled and took a non-proven college coach, he said. But the talent was very low and we were on (NCAA) probation, and who really wanted the job? So I took a job that wasn’t very attractive, and I’ve been very fortunate.

SIUC has been very fortunate as well, as Herrin has led the Salukis to a post-season tournament each of the last seven years including three straight NCAA appearances (1993-1995).

Herrin, however, doesn’t take all the credit for the Dawgs’ success.

Maybe it’s luck. It’s like they say, the more the practice, the luckier you become, he said. I guess making some good decisions, especially having a good coaching staff and being able to recruit good players has something to do with it.

I don’t think there’s one thing we can say, this happened,’ or , this didn’t happen,’ but overall, it’s been a matter of kind of putting some pieces together in a puzzle that we ended up having success.

Although Herrin has won more often (803 games) than he has lost (332) in his career as a coach, Herrin said he would not do anything different if he had to do it over again.

I had someone tell me two weeks ago that I was the luckiest guy in the world, he said. He told me that I get to do everyday what I want to do and that’s coach basketball, and that’s my job. So that’s basically the reason I went into coaching.

To be honest, I’d still like to play, but I can’t play that’s over with. So, I’m doing the next best thing and that’s coaching.