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Rusty Loyd completed eight seasons as Rose-Hulman head men's basketball coach from 2015-2022. Loyd led the Fightin' Engineers eight consecutive winning seasons and three appearances in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Game since taking over as head coach in 2014.
In 2020-21, Loyd became just the fourth men's basketball coach in Rose-Hulman history to cross the 100-win threshold. His career record stands at 120-78, highlighted by an 82-43 mark in regular season HCAC play.
Loyd has led Rose-Hulman to three 17-win seasons since 2016, highlighted by three appearances in the HCAC Tournament Championship Game. He leads a program that has compiled 11 straight winning seasons heading into the 2021-22 season.
His efforts include leading the 2017-18 squad to a share of the league championship and hosting rights for the HCAC Tournament. Rose-Hulman also advanced to the HCAC Tournament Championship Game during the 2016 and 2020 seasons.
In 2020 and again in 2022, Loyd was named to the Silver Waves Media list of 50 Impactful Head Coaches in NCAA Division III men's basketball, published this week by the national website.
Players have also earned significant individual awards under Loyd's leadership. Craig McGee was named HCAC Player of the Year in 2020, and also earned first-team NABC All-District and second-team D3hoops.com All-Region honors. The point guard was joined by teammate Charlie Aimone as a first-team all-conference performer in 2019. Loyd has also coached two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in his Rose-Hulman career - Tyler Duffy in 2016 and Ryuji Aoki in 2019. Just 15 NCAA Division III men's basketball players are chosen CoSIDA Academic All-Americans each season.
Prior to becoming head coach, Loyd served as the lead men's basketball assistant coach at Rose-Hulman for five years, helping the program compile an overall record of 89-47. The Fightin’ Engineers made three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, won three Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament championships, and captured two regular-season league titles during Loyd’s five seasons as lead assistant on the coaching staff. Loyd took over following the 20-year tenure of Jim Shaw, who ranks second in school history with 303 career wins and a .578 winning percentage. Shaw passed away prior to the start of the 2015-16 season as one of the most highly regarded NCAA Division III coaches in his era.
Loyd previously spent three seasons as head coach at Illinois Institute of Technology prior to coming to Rose-Hulman for the 2009-10 campaign. His efforts at Illinois Tech included recruiting seven freshman players for the 2008-09 campaign, highlighted by the conference’s only first-team all-league newcomer.
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Loyd's Record at Rose-Hulman
| Year |
|
Overall |
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HCAC |
|
Place |
| 2014-15 |
|
15-11 |
|
11-7 |
|
4th |
| 2015-16 |
|
17-11 |
|
12-6 |
|
T-3rd |
| 2016-17 |
|
14-12 |
|
12-6 |
|
4th |
| 2017-18 |
|
17-10 |
|
14-4 |
|
T-1st |
| 2018-19 |
|
17-9 |
|
13-5 |
|
T-2nd |
| 2019-20 |
|
15-13 |
|
10-8 |
|
T-5th |
| 2020-21 |
|
10-2 |
|
N/A |
|
Not held |
| 2021-22 |
|
15-10 |
|
10-7 |
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T-2nd |
| Total |
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120-78 |
|
82-43 |
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Overall Winning Percentage: .606
HCAC Winning Percentage: .656
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Prior to his stint at Illinois Tech, Loyd spent four seasons as assistant coach at the University of Chicago with recruiting classes that featured one All-American, one conference Player of the Year, and 11 all-conference selections. The Maroons compiled a 69-58 overall record and a 43-27 league mark in his time with the program.
Loyd also spent two seasons as assistant coach at Lewis University. He helped assemble and coach a team that finished 25-7, won a Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament title, and advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen. His first college coaching experience came as an assistant for two seasons at Earlham College, under Rose-Hulman alumnus Jeff Justus. The Quakers had the program’s first winning season in conference play in 25 years under the efforts of Justus and Loyd.
While serving as the men's basketball assistant coach, Loyd served as head men’s golf coach at Rose-Hulman for five years. His program included improved team scoring averages for three consecutive years. Sanders Park won the individual medalist title at the 2014 HCAC championships, and John Rigitano earned two Capital One Academic All-District honors. Park was also a 2014 all-region honoree from the Golf Coaches Association of America.
Loyd graduated with a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Chicago in 1998 and added a master's degree in sports administration from the United States Sports Academy in 2008. During his final two seasons at Chicago, Loyd played on men’s basketball teams that combined for a 48-8 record and made two trips to the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen. He was inducted into Chicago’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010 after completing his career as the school's all-time leader in assists and steals.
Loyd and his wife Kristen, who works in the Rose-Hulman student life office as the Director of Student Activites and the Mussallem Union, reside in Terre Haute. They have three children, Mia (15), Mason (13) and Maren (7).
