Samford Hires Lipscomb’s Lennie Acuff as New Head Basketball Coach
Just five days after Bucky McMillan was announced as the next head basketball coach at Texas A&M, Samford has their new leader. Lipscomb head coach Lennie Acuff has now been named Samford basketball’s new head coach.
Acuff, 60, comes to Homewood after six years at Lipscomb University. Acuff’s Bison went 25-10 and shared the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title. Lipscomb then defeated North Alabama in the ASUN Conference Tournament to earn the Atlantic Sun’s automatic berth in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. The Bison fell to Iowa State in the round of 64 as a 14-seed.
Their appearance in the NCAA Tournament was only the second appearance in school history.
Before Lipscomb, Acuff spent 22 years as the head coach of Alabama-Huntsville where he finished with a 437-214 record and is the all-time winningest coach in Gulf South Conference history. Those 22 years included 11 Division II NCAA Tournament appearances.
Then before UAH, Acuff spent three seasons as the head coach at Berry College and started his head coaching career at Belhaven College in 1990.
Acuff is a Huntsville, Alabama native. His son Will Acuff, is currently an assistant coach at Montevallo. His daughter, Molly, also lives in the state of Alabama in Birmingham.
Lipscomb just had their third straight season with 20 or more wins. The Bison went 2-0 this past season against Southern Conference opponents beating Wofford and Chattanooga. In the last three seasons, Lipscomb had two Power 5 wins with victories over Louisville and Florida State.
On a June 11, 2020 episode of The Basketball Podcast with Chris Oliver, Oliver asks Acuff, “Why do you coach?”
“At the end of the day, it is to try to affect and have some type of positive influence on young kids,” said Acuff. “I really at the end of the day, that’s what I try to do. I try to help kids and help the guys that work with us to try to be the best versions of themselves. I know there’s a lot of coach speak that goes with this but it is probably more relevant than any time in the world. There are so many life lessons that go with being a part of a team and having to fight through adversity.”
Off the court, Acuff served on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors. He recently served as President of the NABC during the 2023-2024 season.
Below are statements from Samford athletic director Martin Newton, President Beck Taylor and Lennie Acuff.
Newton: "I am thrilled to announce Lennie Acuff as the head men's basketball coach at Samford University," said Newton. "Coach Acuff is a basketball lifer, who comes to Samford with vast coaching experience and has been a proven winner everywhere he has been. I want to welcome him and his family to Birmingham and am confident in his ability to continue to elevate the Samford basketball brand and compete for championships."
Taylor: "Coach Lennie Acuff is the perfect fit for Samford," said Samford President Beck A. Taylor. "His 35 years of head coaching experience, his commitment to basketball excellence and to pursuing championships, and his deep Christian faith will put the Samford men's basketball program in a position to succeed. We warmly welcome Coach Acuff and his wife, Kelly, to the Samford Bulldog family."
Acuff: "I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the head basketball coach at Samford University," said Acuff. "I am grateful to Dr. Taylor and Martin Newton for believing in me and entrusting me with a basketball program that has enjoyed unparalleled success over the past five years under coach Bucky McMillan. Samford University is a special place and I can assure everyone who loves this institution that we will work tirelessly to put a team on the floor that you will be proud of while never compromising what the university stands for.
Coach Acuff will be officially introduced on Tuesday, April 15 at 11:15am on campus at Harry’s Coffeehouse in the Ralph W Beeson University Center.
Samford officially has their new leader to continue the excellence of the last four seasons and get back into the NCAA Tournament.
This has been updated to include now released statements.
