FAIRFAX, Va. – Former George Mason University men's basketball head coach Jim Larrañaga was inducted into the Washington DC Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday. The formal induction ceremony was held at Nationals Park prior to the Washington Nationals-Milwaukee Brewers game.
"I'm very excited and honored to be included with such an illustrious class," said Larrañaga after the ceremony. "It means an awful lot because our George Mason team that made that run to the Final Four really excited and inspired a lot of people in this community and the support was tremendous for our university."
Larrañaga's signature achievement at George Mason was leading the Patriots on an unforgettable Cinderella run to the 2006 Final Four as an 11-seed. That journey included an upset over top-seed UConn in Washington, D.C. and earned Larrañaga the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award.
During his illustrious coaching career coaching the Patriots, Larrañaga registered 273 victories over his 14 seasons (1998-2011) and guided the Green & Gold to nine postseason appearances. That included the 2006 NCAA Final Four run, five NCAA Tournament berths overall (1999, 2001, 2006, 2008, 2011) and three NIT appearances (2002, 2004, 2009).
The Patriots won three CAA Championships (1999, 2001, 2008) during his tenure. In addition to the 2006 NCAA Final Four run, Larrañaga also guided the Patriots to the NCAA Round of 32 in 2011.
Larrañaga has also closely followed the success of his former player on the Tony Skinn ('06), who has quickly made his mark as George Mason's head coach.
"I'm so proud of the job he has done first as a player and a role model at the university, as a professional athlete representing Nigeria in the Olympics and then getting into coaching," said Larrañaga. "He's already won coach of the year and tied the school record for wins in only his second season. Tony has a great career ahead of him and I couldn't be more proud of him."
2025 DC Sports Hall of fame class:
- WNBA standout Alana Beard
- Soccer icon Mia Hamm
- Broadcasters Rich Chvotkin and Craig Laughlin
- Basketball luminaries Johnny Dawkins and Alonzo Mourning
- Washington's 1991 Super Bowl XXVI champions, honored as this year's Team of Distinction
Individuals nominated for inclusion must have gained prominence in the Washington area through their achievements in sports as an athlete, coach, owner, executive, member of the media or contributor. A professional, collegiate or high school team that has made a significant and positive impact in the Greater Washington community through outstanding achievement is eligible to be recognized as a Team of Distinction.
The names of all inductees are prominently displayed at Nationals Park. Former George Mason men's soccer head coach Gordon Bradley (1985-2000) is also a member of the DC Sports Hall of Fame.