MILWAUKEE – It all started back in November of 1998. Bart Lundy, then a 26-year-old, first-year head coach at Queens University in Charlotte, N.C., started the season with a three-game trip to Florida to open his coaching career.
 
The event that served as his debut was the NCAA Division II Tip-Off Tournament, held at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Orlando. It turned into quite the experience for the rookie sideline leader for the Royals. A tough loss to Saint Michael's in the opener, followed by a second defeat at the hands of Montana State Billings the next day. But the third time was the charm, and game three was where it all began – an 81-59 decision over Eckerd College that gave Lundy career victory No. 1.
 
Fast-forward through a few decades to downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin; January 2026. A Sunday matinee against IU Indianapolis at UWM Panther Arena. Moments after the horn sounded to secure Lundy's 500th career victory, the Milwaukee men's basketball coach shook hands casually with the Jaguars' players and coaching staff postgame and headed to the locker room, nearly out of sight before the ceremonial acknowledgement appeared on the arena message boards and was announced over the PA system for the crowd to hear and celebrate with him.
 
It's the latest notable achievement in Lundy's 24 years as a head coach, the past three-plus years leading the Panthers. But his mind was already on something else – getting his team ready to battle Oakland on ESPNU in the next contest the Panthers were set to play in just a few short days.
 
"It's a little surreal … it's a big number," Lundy said the next day. "I think it probably hit me harder than the other milestone numbers – 300, 400. Just extremely grateful for all of the people who have been involved in it. It's been a long journey full of ups and downs … great times and hard times. I am grateful for all of the opportunities I have had. And for all of the players, the coaches, the staff, and administrators that I have had the opportunity to work with and be around. It doesn't quite seem real yet."
 
But let's not take this moment for granted … based on research, Lundy has joined an exclusive club: active NCAA coaches with 500 wins. There are now 17 active members if counting NCAA Division I victories alone, and now 22 if you count all NCAA levels with Lundy joining the ranks.
 
"It weighed on me a little bit on this journey to 500," he said after chasing the final few wins with an injury-depleted roster. "I don't know that I let anybody else feel that. But I was happy to get it behind me and get it celebrated and now focus on the rest of this season."
 
Lundy's done so in efficient manner. He claimed win No. 500 in his 738^th game, an impressive .678 winning percentage. Based on a check of records, there is a list of no more than 40 coaches all-time that have reached the 500 milestone at a higher winning clip.
 
"Congratulations to Coach Lundy on earning his 500th career win," Milwaukee Director of Athletics Amanda Braun said. "His success extends far beyond the scoreboard, defined by integrity, consistency, and a relentless commitment to excellence. Across nearly 24 seasons as a head coach, he has built winning programs while developing young men into leaders. This milestone is a reflection of his dedication and the lasting impact he continues to make."
 
Lundy has averaged over 21 wins per season since he started roaming the sidelines for Queens in that 1998-99 campaign. Win No. 100 came against Barton College (90-83 Jan. 28) in the 2002-03 season, leading the Royals to a 29-4 record that winter, culminating in a trip to the NCAA Division II Final Four. The next milestone came as the head coach at High Point, a big 77-54 decision over Radford on Feb. 27 of 2008 to reach #200.
 
Lundy returned to Queens after a one-year stint as an assistant at the University of North Texas (2012-13). Prior to North Texas, Lundy was on the staff at Marquette University where he assisted head coach Buzz Williams for three years (2009-2012). In that time, Marquette made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and two-straight Sweet 16 appearances with a roster that featured eight future NBA players including Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder.
 
Back as the head coach in a return to Queens in 2013-14, that marked the point of his career that really started to get the ball rolling. A 25-win season in 2015-16 upped the total to 266. An impressive 30-4 campaign – advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Division II Tournament – pushed the total to 296 following 2016-17.
 
Win #300 came quickly, as Lundy started the Royals 4-0, getting a dominant 104-60 blowout of Livingstone College Nov. 17. A run all the way to the Final Four resulted in a 32-4 season overall.
 
The victories continued to accumulate. A 31-5 ledger the next season capped an incredible stretch – 30+ wins in three consecutive seasons – an unheard of level of success from 2016 to 2019 (32/30/31) that was matched only by Gonzaga across all NCAA levels in that span – that's out of over 1,000 programs playing at the time.
 
His 24-7 mark in 2019-20 was stopped short by the pandemic and a COVID-shortened schedule the next year that added 16 more wins to get him to 399. A new season, a new milestone, as Lundy led Queens to a 133-80 blowout of Young Harris College to hit No. 400 on November 12, 2021 – setting a school record for points in a game in the process.
 
Since becoming the head coach for the Panthers, Lundy has done things not seen in quite some time in the program's history. He's already won 20+ games each of his first three seasons – something not accomplished in nearly two decades. His standard was set from the get-go: he's the first head coach to claim 20+ wins in each of his first three years on the bench in Milwaukee's NCAA Division I era.
 
Lundy's first campaign brought a much-needed resurgence and energy back to the program and resulted in MKE's first 20-win season in seven years, the first national postseason appearance in nine years, and the first national postseason victory for a Milwaukee squad in 17 years after it knocked off Stetson in the first round of the CBI.
 
Lundy has led the way as the team has rewritten the record book, starting his first year with the Panthers when the team set new program records in total points (2,659), blocks (186, which also was fourth in the NCAA), field goals made (944), field goals attempted (2,062), total rebounds (1,330), and rebound average (39.1, good for 15th in the NCAA), while leading the Horizon League with a .408 field-goal defense that finished as the second-lowest in school history. A year ago, his squad led the NCAA in fastbreak points, part of his "Tilt the Floor" environment for his program.
 
He's also gone a very impressive 46-12 (.793) at home. Each result, just as important as the next, has helped build the way to the milestone 500 mark.
 
Lundy Notable Milestone Victories
1                Eckerd College                  81-59       11/15/1998
100           Barton College                  90-83       1/28/2003
200           Radford                             77-54       2/27/2008
300           Livingstone College         104-60    11/17/2017
400           Young Harris College      133-80    11/21/2021
500           IU Indianapolis                  95-83       1/11/2026