South Florida inducts late coach Amir Abdur-Rahim into Hall of Fame

On Monday, USF announced it is inducting late men’s basketball head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim into the 2025 USF Athletics Hall of Fame class. Abdur-Rahim died last October while undergoing a medical procedure at Tampa General Hospital for an undisclosed illness.

Abdur-Rahim, who is survived by his wife and three children, among siblings and other family, was considered a rising star in coaching. He took over as the head coach at USF before the 2023-24 season and went 25-8 in his first campaign.

The Bulls won the regular-season AAC title but failed to make the NCAA Tournament. Prior to his stint at USF, Abdur-Rahim had engineered a stunning turnaround for the Kennesaw State program he led. After going 1-28 in his first season, Abdur-Rahim piloted the Owls to a 5-19 mark and then a 13-18 campaign.

His crowning achievement came a year later when he led the program a 26-9 season in 2022-23. The Owls won their conference and appeared in the NCAA Tournament. Last spring, Abdur-Rahim was linked to head coach openings at Louisville and Vanderbilt, but had opted to remain at USF.

Prior to Kennesaw State, Abdur-Rahim was an assistant at Texas A&M (2014-18) and Georgia (2018-19). He played his college basketball at Garden City CC from 2000-01 before a transfer to Southeastern Louisiana from 2001-04.

Abdur-Rahim was the younger brother of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who went on to NBA stardom after playing in college. They had another brother, Muhammad Abdur-Rahim, who also played in college. 

Amir Abdur-Rahim began his coaching career in 2006 with Murray State as an assistant and eventually landed at the College of Charleston in 2012. Following his stint there, he ended up at Texas A&M, Georgia and eventually Kennesaw State.

Abdur-Rahim’s contributions to the sport won’t be forgotten. The American Athletic Conference named Abdur-Rahim the honorary 2024–25 coach of the year. Additionally, the conference created the Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award, which “will be presented annually to the men’s basketball student-athlete who, as determined by the league’s head coaches, best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, fair play and leadership.”

He is only the second USF men’s basketball coach to ever be inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame, joining Bobby Paschal. USF athletic director Michael Kelly is ensuring that Abdur-Rahim’s legacy lives on forever.

“He was authentic, driven, and his infectious personality captivated all of Bulls Nation,” Kelly said after Abdur-Rahim’s passing. “Coach Abdur-Rahim leaves a lasting impact on our student-athletes, the University, and the community.”