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Complete Mark Few Bio in PDF Format
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Few has become more at Gonzaga University.

And the Bulldog faithful - who have proclaimed themselves "Zag Nation" - are more than content with the combination of Head Coach Mark Few and more success in the national spotlight.

The best season in the 100-plus year history of Bulldog basketball saw Gonzaga roll to a 29-4 record, a second 14-0 West Coast Conference campaign in three seasons, a 10th WCC regular-season title, an eighth WCC Tournament crown and an eighth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, the Bulldogs' ninth trip to the event since 1995.

With Few at the helm and national Player of the Year candidate Adam Morrison leading the nation in scoring, Few and the Bulldogs finished fifth in the final Associated Press Top 25, claimed a No. 3 seed into the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 for the third time since Few took the reigns for the 200 season and the fourth time overall with Few a part of the coaching staff.

All of that came on the heels of a 2005 season in which Few guided the Bulldogs to 10th in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll and a third straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament second round.

Few, in just seven years in the head seat on the Bulldog bench, has three Sweet 16 and three NCAA Second Round appearances in his seven trips to the tourney. He is one of only two coaches to lead a team into the Sweet Sixteen in their first two years as a head coach since the bracket was expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

But winning and trips to the NCAA Tournament are becoming commonplace around the Gonzaga campus.

Few's career record is 188-41 in his seven years, making him the winningest seventh-year head coach in NCAA Division I history, passing the likes of Tom Izzo of Michigan State University, Larry Brown of UCLA and the University of Kansas and Roy Williams, the current University of North Carolina head coach who was at Kansas while making his mark on the 7-year list. Few's 159 victories after six seasons rank second on the 6-year list and his 133 victories rank second for a fifth-year head coach in NCAA Division I history as do his 105 wins through four seasons. Everett Case of North Carolina State sits atop all three lists with 161, 137 and 107, respectively, for the four, five and six-year periods of 1947-52. Few is the winningest coach in NCAA history for third-year head coaches with his 81 "W's" to surpass the 80 wins posted by Case (1947-49) and Bill Guthridge of the University of North Carolina (1998-00).

While Few has continued Gonzaga's string of post-season success, there are some individual player honors he looks to with pride. Morrison, recognized as much for his diabetes as for his ability to score, became the first Bulldog since Frank Burgess in 1961 to lead the nation in scoring at 28.1 ppg Morrison was a household name across the country and he was up for every major Player of the Year award in the country. Morrison shared the Oscar Robertson Trophy with Duke University's J.J. Redick, was named the CBS Chevrolet Player of the Year and was a close runner-up to Redick in the Associated Press, Naismith Award and John R. Wooden Award balloting for Player of the Year. He was a unanimous All-America selection on the AP first team. Few, who in such a relatively young career as a head coach is mentioned in the same breath with some of the more veteran coaches patrolling the sidelines, has also accomplished plenty of "firsts" since taking over the reigns for the 1999-00 season. Dan Dickau became Gonzaga's inaugural selection to the Associated Press All-America first team in 2002, and also was tabbed Gonzaga's first John R. Wooden Award Top Five All-American. The Bulldogs also cracked the Top 10 in the national polls for the first time in school history in 2002, finishing the season ranked sixth in the Associated Press Top 25. Gonzaga's 29-4 record also set a single-season mark for victories which was matched in 2006.

A 10-year Gonzaga assistant head coach, Few was named head coach July 26, 1999, following Dan Monson's departure for the University of Minnesota. Few joined the Bulldogs for the 1989-90 season as a graduate assistant under former head coach Dan Fitzgerald, then was promoted to a fulltime assistant for the 1991-92 season. He had been named associate head coach in April of 1999 following a season in which the Bulldogs became the basketball darlings of the nation on their March run which saw Gonzaga come within a few ticks of the clock of advancing to the Final Four. A loss to eventual national champion University of Connecticut in the West Regional Finals in Phoenix, Ariz., ended the Cinderella story that captured basketball fans from coast to coast.

Gonzaga University President Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., and director of athletics Mike Roth didn't hesitate in rewarding Few for his long loyalty to Gonzaga.

"We are extremely fortunate to have a coach of Mark's caliber right here on our staff," Spitzer said. "He is a gifted strategist, and a man who buys into the University's mission 100 percent."

"Mark had been an integral part of Gonzaga's success the last decade," Roth said. "I think that speaks well for the program when you can say your last two head coaches were promoted from within. It displays the loyalty they have had as assistants. We didn't give Mark the job, he earned it."

Gonzaga has won 358 games over the past 14 seasons, won or shared 10 West Coast Conference championships, seven times captured the WCC Tournament title and has made 11 trips to post-season play in the last 12 campaigns. Only 18 times since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams has a school made three or more straight Sweet 16 appearances. Gonzaga is one of those (1999-01), and Few was a part of it all.

In May of 2006 Few received a contract extension, which assures his presence on the Bulldog bench through 2016. His long-term agreement reflects the university's commitment to Few and his commitment to Gonzaga.

This will allow Few to continue to build on success he has enjoyed at Gonzaga.

Few has always been known for getting the most out of players both and off the court. He is committed to total player development.

Since Few arrived on the Gonzaga staff, the Bulldogs have produced 49 All-West Conference selections, eight WCC Player of the Year recipients and six Academic All-Americans.

"When a young man enters the Bulldog basketball program, I believe it is our responsibility as coaches to help them reach their potential in every facet of their lives," Few said. "Our commitment to the players will always go far beyond the basketball court with a goal of producing the complete individual, one that Gonzaga University will be proud of long after their playing days. "

Through the efforts of Mark, his wife Marcy, and assistant coach's wives Nicole Grier, Robin Rice and Chanelle Lloyd, the inaugural Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament and Gala was held in September of 2002. The event has continued to grow and in the fall of 2005 surpassed the $1 million mark to benefit the American Cancer Society. It is the second largest Coaches vs. Cancer event in the country behind Coach Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University.

Few and Marcy, married June 11, 1994, became parents with the arrival of Austin James (A.J.) Few on Jan. 18, 2000, followed by the arrival of Joseph Dillon on June 11, 2002, the Few's eighth wedding anniversary, and Julia Ann Elizabeth on June 25, 2006. The Few's wedding was more special because Rev. Norm Few, father of the groom, officiated. Rev. Few also married Bulldog assistant coaches Bill Grier and his wife Nicole, and Leon Rice and wife Robin.

Mark Few
Birthdate: December 27, 1962
Birthplace: Creswell, Oregon
High School: Creswell (Ore.) HS, 1981
College: University of Oregon, 1987
Degree: B.S./Physical Education
Graduate School: Gonzaga University, 1993
Degree: M.A./Athletic Administration

Coaching Experience
1986-88 - Assistant Coach, Creswell (Ore.) High
1988-89 - Assistant Coach, Sheldon (Ore.) High
1990-91 - Graduate Assistant Coach, Gonzaga University
1992-1999 - Assistant Coach, Gonzaga University
April 16, 1999 - Named Associate Head Coach, Gonzaga University
July 26, 1999 - Named Head Coach, Gonzaga University

Wife: - Marcy (Laca) Few
Children: - Austin James (1-18-00); Joseph Dillon (6-11-02)