THE FASHION OVERVIEW

The fashion craze began in 1998, when former Wagner head coach Tim Capstraw thought it would be fun to rate some of America's most stylish coaches. Coaches and fans enjoyed the off-beat approach, which concluded with former Hofstra coach Jay Wright being crowned the Best-Dressed coach in America. Due to popular response, Capstraw followed up with his second feature on College Basketball's style mavens. Once again, Jay Wright walked away with the title of America's best-dressed. In 2000, Capstraw moved onto radio and television and the feature was handed to CollegeInsider.com's Angela Lento who renamed it "The Runway to the Fashionable 4." Lento had periodic features throughout the season, culminating in a 64-coach bracket in the same fashion as the NCAA Tournament. Coaches and fans across the country immediately took the concept, as fashionable coaches were paired off against one another. Former Lehigh head coach Sal Mentesana emerged from the tournament as the best-dressed coach in America. Mentesana's stroll on the catwalk was chronicled in John Feinstein's book, "The Last Amateurs." At the beginning of the 2001 season, Lento introduced the Fashion Power Index or FPI, as a formula to rate the stylish coaches throughout the season. The interest in the now season-long feature reached another level, as countless feature articles appeared in newspapers and periodicals across the country. That season also marked the first time that assistant coaches would compete for the title of America's most stylish understudy. Former Wofford assistant Mike Young (now the head coach) was given the honor of most majestic assistant. The 2001 head coach fashion finale saw former UMass head coach Bruiser Flint step off the runway as America's most stylish. In December of 2001, in a pre-game ceremony, Flint was presented with the award for being named the best-dressed coach in the country. By the start of the 2002 season, "The Runway to the Fashionable 4" had become a favorite among coaches and fans alike, with ESPN's Rece Davis, CBS SportsLine's Dan Wetzel and NBA All-Star Jalen Rose being regular followers of the fashion madness. 2002 also saw an FPI for assistant coaches, which was unveiled throughout the season, which further increased its popularity, as Lento was a guest on countless radio shows, including ESPN Radio, with Rece Davis and Andy Katz. At season's end, Rice head coach Willis Wilson was recognized as the college basketball's most stylish, while Marist assistant Steve Sauers was victorious in the understudy competition. Since 2002 the popularity of The Runway to the Fashionable 4 has continued to grow. Today thousands of fans email Angela encouraging her to consider their favorite coach. In addition, sports information directors regularly send Angela photos and game videos to get attention for their respective head coaches and assistants.