Head coach
Dick Peth, enters his 27th year as head coach of the Wartburg men's basketball program in 2023-24. He led the Knights to back-to-back Iowa Conference championships in 2004-05 and 2005-06 and a record-setting fifth consecutive season of 20-plus wins in 2004-05. The 2005 IIAC Coach of the Year, he has also earned other accolades at the helm of the program including the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association's Paul Maaske award in 2005 and 2000, D3News Coach of the Month honors in 2001-02, and the Conference Coach of the Year award following the 2000-01 season.
He has compiled a 398-280 mark with the Knights, while his overall career record, which includes a strong 221-123 run at the University of Denver from 1985-1987, is 619-403. During his tenure, Wartburg’s program has also captured three Iowa Conference championships (2000-01/2004-05/2005-06) and one American Rivers Conference tournament championship (2017) and earned two NCAA Division III national tournament berths (2001 & 2017). On Feb. 3, 2007, he became the 33rd active head coach to reach 400 wins in NCAA Division III and reached the 500 win mark on Jan. 17, 2015. On Dec. 9, 2021, he earned his 600th career win and is one of two active Division III men's basketball head coaches with at least 600 career victories.
Before coming to Wartburg, Peth was head coach at the University of Denver, an NCAA Division II school, posting a 221-123 record in 12 years. He played for former University of Iowa men's basketball coach Lute Olson from 1975 to 1979, captaining the 1979 team that won the Big 10 title and made it to the NCAA postseason tournament. Peth was recently ranked second on a list of the top 10 greatest high school players ever in the La Crosse, Wisconsin, area by the La Crosse Tribune. He was inducted into the Wisconsin High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Oct. 5.
Under Peth:
Conference MVPs: 2
All-Conference: 50
All-Region: 4
All-Americans: 1
| Season |
Record |
NCAA Tournament |
| 1997-98 |
16-9 |
NA |
| 1998-99 |
13-12 |
NA |
| 1999-2000 |
14-12 |
NA |
| 2000-01 |
24-4 |
Second Round |
| 2001-02 |
20-8 |
NA |
| 2002-03 |
21-7 |
NA |
| 2003-04 |
20-8 |
NA |
| 2004-05 |
23-5 |
NA |
| 2005-06 |
19-6 |
NA |
| 2006-07 |
11-15 |
NA |
| 2007-08 |
9-16 |
NA |
| 2008-09 |
15-13 |
NA |
| 2009-10 |
15-12 |
NA |
| 2010-11 |
10-14 |
NA |
| 2011-12 |
11-14 |
NA |
| 2012-13 |
15-12 |
NA |
| 2013-14 |
13-13 |
NA |
| 2014-15 |
15-13 |
NA |
| 2015-16 |
16-11 |
NA |
| 2016-17 |
21-10 |
Sweet Sixteen |
| 2017-18 |
17-10 |
NA |
| 2018-19 |
17-9 |
NA |
| 2019-20 |
12-15 |
NA |
| 2020-21 |
4-7 |
NA |
| 2021-22 |
16-10 |
NA |
| 2022-23 |
11-15 |
NA |
| At Wartburg |
398-280 |
|
| Career |
619-403 |
|
