The Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award honored the active men's NCAA Division I basketball coach who has made the most significant positive contributions to his sport during the preceding year. The winner reflected the character and professional qualities of Clair Bee, a Hall of Fame coach who many consider to be the best technical basketball coach in history, and a man who cared deeply about his players' well-being. The Hilton and Bee Awards were created by Chip Hilton Sports and the NCAA Foundation in 1996 as a way to promote positive character in the sport of basketball, a game upon which the legendary Bee had a great impact as a coach, administrator, innovator and teacher.
Winners
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
! Season
! Coach
! School
! class="unsortable" | Reference
|-align="center"
| 1996–97
| '
| Minnesota
|
|-align="center"
| 1997–98
|
| Mount St. Mary's
|
|-align="center"
| 1998–99
|
| Ohio State
|
|-align="center"
| 1999–00
|
| Syracuse
|
|-align="center"
| 2000–01
|
| Arizona
|
|-align="center"
| 2001–02
|
| Texas Tech
|
|-align="center"
| 2002–03
|
| Marquette
|
|-align="center"
| 2003–04
|
| Duke
|
|-align="center"
| 2004–05
|
| Michigan State
|
|-align="center"
| 2005–06
|
| George Mason
|
|-align="center"
| 2006–07
|
| Wisconsin
|
|-align="center"
| 2007–08
|
| Davidson
|
|-align="center"
| 2008–09
|
| Missouri
|
|-align="center"
| 2009–10
|
| Cornell
|
|-align="center"
| 2010–11
|
| Butler
|
|-
|}
Clem Haskins' selection was later vacated (along with that season's win total and all other accolades) due to an academic fraud scandal that ruled the entire team ineligible.
See also
- Chip Hilton Player of the Year Award – equivalent award presented to an NCAA Division I men's basketball player, sponsored by the NABC