> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ‘Absolutely Mind-Boggling': Gonzaga's Mark Few Enshrined in Basketball Hall of Fame - URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/absolutely-mind-boggling-gonzaga-bulldogs-mark-few-enshrined-basketball-hall-fame/ - Published: 2026-08-16T20:39:21.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-08T05:35:32.000Z - Author: Howard Woodard - Tags: News, Analysis, Gonzaga Men's Basketball, Mark Few \[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="7008"\] ![ Class of 2026 inductee Mark Few speaks during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Symphony Hall Springfield. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/2026-08-16t023458z_1185550394_mt1usatoday29595257_rtrmadp_3_basketball-naismith-basketball-hall-of-fame-enshrinement-format-original.jpg) Class of 2026 inductee Mark Few speaks during the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Enshrinement at Symphony Hall Springfield. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images \[/caption\] Mark Few has accomplished a lot in his career. He has taken the Gonzaga Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament every year since he became head coach, boasts the highest all-time winning percentage for a college coach, and has been part of a gold medal for Team USA at the Olympics. Now nearing the end of his coaching career at 63, Few was officially inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday. In Springfield, Massachusetts, Few, Doc Rivers, Mike D’Antoni, Amar’e Stoudemire, Candace Parker, Elena Della Donne, Chamique Holdscraw, Joey Crawford, and the 1996 USA Women’s national team were enshrined into hoops immortality as the Class of 2026. Starting from humble beginnings, Few’s journey is a story laced with consistency, staying ahead of the curve, and teamwork. Being at the helm of one of the nation’s most successful programs over the last three decades, Few earns one of the sport’s most prestigious honors. “To be here standing where I am today is absolutely mind-boggling,” Few said during his Hall of Fame speech. “…People have asked me, ‘Is this a dream come true?’, and I’m telling you, I couldn’t even think about dreaming such a thing where I came from.” Few is a Pacific Northwesterner at heart, hailing from Creswell, Oregon, which he says has a population of 1,500 and only one stoplight. Growing up, the only Springfield Few thought of was the one 10 miles north of Creswell. His first coaching job came as an assistant for his hometown high school, and after several years at Creswell High, Few interviewed for the head coaching position that opened up there. But even with experience already on the staff and his parents having connections within the community, Few didn’t get the job. Almost 40 years later, he is a Basketball Hall of Famer. Serving as one of Gonzaga’s coaches in some capacity since 1989, Few first served as an assistant under Dan Fitzgerald, then remained on the staff when Dan Monson took over in 1999\. He was a part of the first four Zags squads to clinch postseason berths – two of which were NIT appearances – including a front-row seat in 1999 when the program marched to the Elite Eight in its second-ever NCAA Tournament. Monson and Few have a great relationship, and during Few’s first couple of years at Spokane, Monson allowed him to crash on his couch rent-free, considering Few’s salary was $1,500 a year at the time. When Monson departed for Minnesota after that ‘Cinderella’ season, Few took charge of Gonzaga – and hasn’t looked back once in the last 27 seasons. Few boasts a 773-156 career record, good for an 83.2% winning percentage. He was awarded AP Coach of the Year in 2017, leading a 37-2 Zags team to the NCAA Championship. Dominating the WCC, Few won 23 West Coast regular-season championships and 21 league tournament titles, also taking home 14 conference Coach of the Year awards. Postseason-wise, the Few-led Bulldogs have been to two national championship games, five Elite 8s, and 13 Sweet 16s, including nine straight regional semifinal appearances from 2015-2024\. His record in the NCAA tournament is 45-26. Simply put, GU’s transformation under Few puts him in rarefied air, and the sustained success he’s achieved in Spokane is not easily replicated. “He’s just built a great, great program from a little school,” said Jim Boeheim, longtime head coach of Syracuse, during a video tribute to Few. “And everybody thinks they can do that in the country because of what he’s done, and they can’t.” Of course, Few’s accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without the talented players who are actually on the court, which he made sure to acknowledge during his speech. “There’s an old coaching adage. It’s not about the X’s and the O’s; it’s about the Jimmies and the Joes, and I’m just here representing the 290 players I’ve had the unbelievable privilege to coach at Gonzaga,” Few said. Of those 290, 23 were All-Americans, 108 were all-conference players, 18 were WCC Players of the Year, and almost three dozen have made it to the NBA. Getting his first taste of coaching at the national level, Few led the US to a bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games. Four years later, he was chosen as an assistant on USA Select, helping the national team prepare for the FIBA Basketball World Cup. And since 2022, Few has been on the staff of the American national squad, with their biggest competitions being the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Paris Olympics, where the USA won gold. His presenters at the ceremony were Hall of Famers and close friends John Stockton, John Calipari, and Grant Hill, who Few said each played significant roles in his basketball journey. Aside from Stockton, the only other Zags Hall of Famer, there were more than 30 people in attendance whom Few encountered during his Gonzaga tenure, including past and present coaches and players. But the true backbone of Few’s life is his family and faith. His wife of 32 years, Marcy, and their four children, AJ, Joe, Julia, and Colt, watched from the crowd. Few also spoke admirably of his late mother, Barbara, the “Gonzaga Grandma”, who passed away last November. He even jokingly pointed out that his 95-year-old father, Norm, was likely fishing through channels to find the ceremony on NBATV. Norm was the pastor of Creswell Presbyterian Church for 54 years, and similar to college basketball, his profession involves frequent movement among all associated parties. Just like his father, Few hasn’t taken his career anywhere other than Spokane. With all his success, numerous high-profile programs have attempted to poach Few over the years, most notably Oregon, his alma mater. But instead of “moving up” in the coaching scene, Few has stayed the course with Gonzaga, which is one of the most important values his father taught him. “\[My dad\] showed me you don’t mess with happy, and he taught me that sometimes the greatest calling isn’t finding the next thing,” Few shared. “Sometimes it’s pouring everything you have into where you are….Hence I stayed.” Few also showed gratitude to the Bulldogs’ fans, sponsors, donors, and the school’s overall consistency for the last 30 years. Since he became head coach in 1999, Gonzaga has had only three university presidents and two athletic directors. That steady alignment throughout exemplifies what Gonzaga Bulldogs men’s basketball has achieved under Few. Leading the charge for a mid-major basketball program to work together and strive for one goal is the reason Few was honored this weekend, but his new orange jacket, Hall of Fame ring, and exhibit in Springfield represent much more than just himself. “This isn’t about me tonight. The greatest thing we built at Gonzaga wasn’t a basketball program; it was a family and a culture,” Few said. “It kept people wanting to come back. That is one of the greatest rewards that a coach who has stayed at the same place his whole career gets to experience.” “…I may be the one standing here, but this honor belongs to so many others. This weekend has been one of the greatest, unbelievable experiences and honors in my life. I am truly, truly a blessed man, and I thank everybody.”