Thad Matta is retiring after all.
Three days after reports surfaced that Matta was expected to return as Butler men’s basketball’s head coach, he announced his retirement Monday.
The program revealed that he would remain with the university as a special assistant to the president and athletic director.
“After taking some time to reflect following the end of the season, I have decided that the time has come for me to step away from the sidelines,” Matta said in a press release. “My commitment to Butler and to the future of this program remains as strong as ever. I want this program to compete at the highest levels of the BIG EAST and national landscape, and I am excited to be part of what we continue to build here.”
“It is hard to fully capture in words what the Matta family has meant to Butler University and to our men’s basketball program,” Athletic Director Grant Leiendecker said. “Thad has given so much to our university and his impact on our student-athletes has been life-changing.”
Initially, though, it looked like Matta would stay in his role, The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reported in a post on X Friday.
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“We are fully committed and aligned on how we will reach expectations for the program going forward,” Leiendecker said.
Despite the reports, Matta — a former Butler assistant coach and player — made his retirement decision Monday.
Across 21 years as a head coach with Butler, Ohio State and Xavier, Matta finishes his career with a 502-223 overall record and 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Most of his career was spent with the Buckeyes, guiding them to Final Fours in 2007 and 2012, including making the national championship game in the former.
Matta had two stints at Butler as well, though he only saw success in his first year with the program in 2000-01, where he made the NCAA Tournament. He left following the season after accepting Xavier’s head coach position.
Despite returning to Butler for the 2022-23 season, Matta failed to reach March Madness, only finishing above .500 once.
The Bulldogs finished 16-16 overall and 7-13 in the Big East this year, bumping Matta’s record to 63-69 in the last four years and Butler’s NCAA Tournament drought to seven seasons.
“(Matta) has built a Hall of Fame–worthy legacy in college basketball and has been a valued member of our campus community since he first arrived at Butler as a student-athlete in the 1980s,” Butler president Jim Danko said. “Butler has always been a special part of his story, and we are grateful that he chose to return and finish his coaching career where it all began.”
