College basketball’s 30 biggest cheaters that tainted the game

2. Clem Haskins

We only have coaches left to discuss, and Clem Haskins may not be much of a household name these days. What Haskins did at Minnesota, however, justifies his lofty status on this list of cheaters.

After a solid run at Western Kentucky, Haskins was named the head coach of the Golden Gophers in 1986. Haskins turned Minnesota into a strong Big Ten contender, even reaching the Final Four in 1997, but things were a mess behind the scenes.

Shortly before Minnesota’s first round matchup against Gonzaga in 1999, reports came out exposing a wide-ranging academic scandal at the school. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that Jan Gangelhoff, an academic counselor at Minnesota, had confessed to doing coursework for more than 20 players since 1993.

The NCAA launched an investigation after the report came out, and what they found was damning for Haskins. Haskins not only knew about the academic fraud, but he encouraged it by providing benefits to the people helping his players remain eligible.

Minnesota was slammed by the NCAA for this fiasco, being forced to go on probation for four years and vacating five separate postseason appearances, including the Final Four run. Haskins himself was hit with a lengthy show-cause penalty that essentially ended his coaching career.