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Mark Madsen, one of the most iconic and inspirational players in Stanford men's basketball history, is returning to The Farm as an assistant coach.

Cardinal head coach Johnny Dawkins made the announcement on Tuesday.

Madsen replaces Dick Davey, who announced his retirement in March after serving the past four years as the program's associate head coach. Madsen will work primarily with the team's post players.

Madsen has enjoyed success at every level of basketball.

During his four-year career at Stanford, Madsen earned All-America honors in each of his final two seasons while helping lead the Cardinal to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including the 1998 Final Four. A nine-year NBA veteran, Madsen spent six seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves following a three-year stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, in which he contributed to the franchise's 2001 and 2002 NBA championships.

"I'm really excited to have Mark join our staff and return to the Stanford basketball program," said Dawkins. "Mark's energy and enthusiasm is infectious and his experience at Stanford will provide an invaluable resource to our team. I have no doubt that our student-athletes will benefit greatly from working with Mark on a daily basis."

Madsen, 36, has spent the last two years on campus, completing coursework toward his MBA at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

"I am very grateful to Coach Dawkins and Stanford University for the opportunity to join the basketball staff and work with such a highly talented group of student-athletes," said Madsen, who accompanied the Cardinal on its preseason trip to Spain last September. "I feel extremely fortunate to represent an institution that has meant so much to me, both personally and professionally. I'm excited to get started and look forward to contributing immediately as our program builds on last year's success."

Known to everyone as "Mad Dog" for his signature physical and aggressive style of play, Madsen averaged 10.9 points and 7.9 rebounds for his Cardinal career while ranking among the school's top-10 all-time performers in field goal percentage (fourth - 58.7), and rebounds (sixth - 857). A two-time All-Pac-10 selection, Madsen was tabbed a two-time All-American by the NABC (1999 Third Team, 2000 Second Team) and a Third Team All-American by the Associated Press in 2000. He was also named a member of the John R. Wooden Award team as a senior.

During Madsen's playing career, Stanford compiled a 105-24 record, producing an 81.4 winning percentage that ranks second in school history for a consecutive four-year period. The Cardinal also notched its first 30-win season (1997-98), claimed two Pac-10 titles (1999, 2000), earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time (2000) and advanced to the NCAA Final Four (1998).

In one of the most memorable moments in school history, Madsen's three-point play with 26.2 seconds remaining completed an improbable last-minute comeback as Stanford rallied past Rhode Island, 79-77, in the Midwest Regional final to earn a berth in the 1998 NCAA Final Four.

Madsen excelled in the classroom, as well, honored as a CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American as a senior. A two-time Pac-10 All-Academic First Team selection and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, Madsen was also named to the executive council of the NABC Student Basketball Council, organized to address issues affecting NCAA student-athletes.

Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round (29th overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft, Madsen played three seasons with the Lakers (2000-03) and was a member of back-to-back NBA championship teams in 2001 and 2002. He then signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves as a free agent prior to the 2003-04 campaign and played six seasons (2004-09) with the Wolves. During his tenure at Minnesota, Madsen was elected by his teammates to serve as the club's National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) player representative for three seasons.

Following his NBA career, Madsen served as an assistant coach during the 2009-10 season with the Utah Flash of the NBA's Developmental League.

Madsen also possesses international playing experience, leading the United States to a gold medal at the 1999 World University Games before being named to the roster for the 2001 Goodwill Games.

A native of Danville, Madsen earned his undergraduate degree in economics in 2000. He attended San Ramon Valley High and served a two-year Mormon mission in Spain following his graduation from high school.

— Brian Risso/Stanford Sports Information

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