3 worst head coach hires in Auburn basketball history

Bruce Pearl has arguably turned Auburn into a temporary basketball school, and is going for his second SEC Tournament title, something that seemed unthinkable while Auburn was wallowing at the bottom of the conference under these three head coaches.

Auburn Tigers head coach Tony Barbee / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

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Record: 64-78. player. 525. Tommy Joe Eagles. . . Tommy Joe Eagles. 1989-94. Tommy Joe Eagles. 2

Tommy Joe Eagles was a rising star in the coaching game who took over Auburn, after four widely successful seasons at Louisiana Tech, at the age of 40. Sadly, a few months after his five-year stint as the head coach of the Tigers, Eagles tragically died of a heart attack on a recruiting trip to Salt Lake City as the head coach of the University of New Orleans.

As the head coach of Auburn, Eagles struggled to get his footing. He began his tenure coming off three-straight conference titles at Louisiana Tech and immediately had to endure the first losing season of his career, going 13-18 (8-10). Over his five years, Eagles only orchestrated one winning season at Auburn, in 1992-93.

On top of the losing, Eagles also got Auburn placed on probation for two years due to recruiting violations, so the Tigers were not eligible for the postseason in 1992.

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