Brad Stevens

Bradley Kent Stevens (born October 22, 1976) is an American basketball executive and former coach who is currently the president of basketball operations for the Boston Celtics.

Born and raised in Zionsville, Indiana, Stevens starred on the Zionsville Community High School basketball team, setting four school records. After high school, he attended DePauw University, where he played basketball and earned a degree in economics. Stevens made the all-conference team multiple times and was a three-time Academic All-America nominee. He transitioned into coaching after quitting his job at Eli Lilly and Company, joining the basketball program at Butler University as a volunteer prior to the 2000–01 season. Stevens was promoted to a full-time assistant coach the following season. After five seasons in the role, he assumed the position of head coach on April 4, 2007, after Todd Lickliter left to coach the Iowa Hawkeyes. In his first year, Stevens led Butler to 30 wins, becoming the third-youngest head coach in NCAA Division I history to have a 30-win season.

In 2010, his third year as head coach, Stevens broke the NCAA record for most wins in a coach's first three years, exceeding the previous record by eight wins. In the NCAA tournament, Stevens coached Butler to the first Final Four in school history, while also becoming the second-youngest head coach to make an NCAA national championship game, losing 61–59 to Duke. With the following season's team also making the Final Four, Stevens became the youngest coach to go to two Final Fours. Stevens coached the Bulldogs in their second consecutive national championship game on April 4, 2011, where the team again lost, this time to the Connecticut Huskies. Stevens was regularly named a finalist for Horizon League Coach of the Year award, winning twice, and was also a nominee for both the Hugh Durham Award and Jim Phelan Award in every year of his college career.

This success garnered Stevens a job with the NBA's Boston Celtics in 2013, when Stevens signed a six-year, \$22 million contract to become head coach. After undertaking a rebuild early in his career, Stevens led the Celtics to the NBA playoffs every year from 2014 to 2021, won a division championship, and appeared in the Eastern Conference finals in 2017, 2018, and 2020. He gained a reputation as one of the NBA's best coaches, with his motion offense and stingy defense earning plaudits from fans, peers, and players. Stevens was named the president of basketball operations of the Celtics in 2021 following the retirement of Danny Ainge.

## Early life

Stevens grew up in Zionsville, Indiana, where he developed his love for basketball. Starting at age five, Stevens would watch taped basketball games "before he went to afternoon kindergarten". His father often drove him to Bloomington to watch Indiana Hoosiers games. "It's hard not to be [in love with basketball] when you're a kid growing up in Indiana", Stevens later said.

For his eighth birthday, Stevens received a new basketball hoop. "It's so much fun to dream in your driveway," he later remarked. "That's where my friends and I hung out. It was a lot of fun to grow up in that era." When a friend, Brandon Monk, had a basketball court installed in his back yard, Stevens "appeared instantaneously". He was so dedicated to the game that he would bring the unprepared ingredients for grilled cheese sandwiches to Monk's house so that he would not waste time waiting for the sandwiches to cook.

Monk's court soon became a gathering place, where kids from Zionsville and the surrounding areas would hold pickup games. These games helped develop Stevens's competitive streak. Besides playing basketball, the young Stevens also enjoyed solving puzzles, a skill he later applied to analyzing opposing teams to find their weaknesses.

Stevens attended Zionsville Community High School, where he became a star basketball player. Stevens wore No. 31 in high school in honor of Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller. During his freshman year, Stevens got up early to practice shooting at a local gym before school. The hard work paid off as Stevens made the varsity team that year. By the time his high school career was complete, Stevens had set school records for career scoring, assists, steals, and three-point field goals. As of 2017, he still holds the records for career points per game average (26.8), total career points (1,508), assists (444), and steals (156), as well as the single-season points record (644 in 1995). Stevens was named to the all-conference team three times. In 1995, Stevens was the sectional MVP and the leading scorer in state sectional play (32.3 ppg).

Stevens made the academic all-state first team and received the Straight A Gold Medal Award all four years. He was a member of the National Honor Society, graduating seventh in his class of 165. Stevens also earned three letters in basketball, three in track, and one in baseball during his days at Zionsville. During summers, he traveled the country playing AAU basketball.

Stevens was recruited to play Division III basketball at NCAC powerhouse DePauw University, where he played in all 101 DePauw games, earning four varsity letters. Stevens earned multiple all-conference and academic all-conference awards, and was a three-time Academic All-America nominee. He was a team captain his senior year, and averaged more than eight points per game three of his four years. Stevens' career highs were 24 points and eight rebounds in a game. After his senior year, Stevens received the Coaches' Award. Coach Bill Fenlon later described Stevens as "one of the most selfless, team-oriented person  [sic] I've ever been around."

At DePauw, Stevens was a member of the Management Fellows Honors Program and the DePauw Community Services' Sports Night executive board. He was also a brother of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. During summer vacations, Stevens spent time teaching at Butler basketball camps. He was named to the Dean's list and graduated in 1999 with a degree in economics.

## College coaching career

In the summer of 2000, Stevens was offered the opportunity to volunteer in the Butler basketball office. He ran the idea of quitting his job at Eli Lilly by then-longtime girlfriend (and now wife) Tracy Wilhelmy. She thought about it for two hours before telling him to go for it. "Now, it looks like a great idea," Stevens later remarked. "At the time, I thought it was something I really wanted to try." Tracy began law school to get a J.D. degree that could support the couple if things did not work out for Stevens. "We were 23 and realized this was our chance," Tracy later said. "Five years down the road, we were probably not going to be in a position to do that. The more success you had at Lilly, the harder it would be to leave."

Stevens planned to live in a friend's basement and took a job at Applebee's to pay the bills. Before he started training at Applebee's, Stevens was offered a low-paying administrative position as coordinator of basketball operations under then-coach Thad Matta. The position had opened up when assistant coach Jamal Meeks resigned after being arrested on solicitation and drug charges, of which he was later acquitted. Years later, Matta recalled, "[Stevens] was just a hungry young kid that was desperate to get into coaching. He had a great passion and was willing to take a risk to get into the coaching profession."

After Matta left the school following the 2000–01 season, new head coach Todd Lickliter promoted Stevens to a full-time assistant coach. Under Lickliter, Stevens was active in every aspect of the game: skills instruction, game preparation, in-game coaching, and recruiting. Butler was 131–61 during Stevens' time as an assistant coach.

### Named head coach

On April 2, 2007, Lickliter resigned in order to take the head-coaching position at the University of Iowa. The Butler players had a meeting with athletic director Barry Collier, urging him to promote from within. Collier, having spent the entire season observing the assistant coaches' interaction with the team, agreed. The day after Lickliter resigned Stevens and Butler's two other assistant coaches interviewed for the job. Within 24 hours of the interviews the 30-year-old Stevens was named Butler's new head coach. According to Collier, Stevens had something older, outside candidates could never match: six years of experience learning the Butler system, dubbed "The Butler Way" by Collier. "Age wasn't a factor because I'd seen his ability shine through during the course of the season," Collier said.

### 2007–08 season

At the start of the 2007–08 season, Stevens was the second-youngest coach in Division I basketball. He got off to a fast start, winning his first eight games before falling to Wright State 43–42. Legendary coach Bob Knight, whose Texas Tech team was an early victim, said "I wish we played as smart as they do." Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg added "they've got toughness about them and they expect to win."

Midway through Stevens' first season, with the Bulldogs at 12–1, The New York Times wrote "so far, Stevens has made the transition [to head coach] look easy." The Times went on to state that Stevens had the calm and composure of a seasoned veteran. "You've got a lot of people always looking for the next step. And that's not what I was doing. I was just trying to figure out a way to win the next game and think like a head coach." Stevens said.

Butler ended the regular season with a 27–3 record, taking first place in the Horizon League with a 16–2 in conference mark. The team beat Illinois–Chicago 66–50 and Cleveland State 70–55 to claim the league's tournament title and an automatic bid to the 2008 NCAA tournament. Butler was awarded the seven seed in the East Regional. They beat tenth-seeded South Alabama 81–61 in the first round, before falling to second-seeded Tennessee 76–71 in overtime.

Stevens ended up with a school and Horizon league record 30 wins, beating several big-name schools—Michigan, Texas Tech, Florida State, Ohio State—along the way. In so doing, he became the third-youngest head coach in NCAA Division I history to lead a team to 30 wins in a season, and became the fourth-winningest first-year coach. Butler was nationally ranked for a school and league record 19 consecutive weeks. Butler's 30–4 record was the best among teams that did not reach the Final Four. Stevens was a finalist for the Hugh Durham Award, losing to Keno Davis of Drake, and a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, losing to Bo Ryan.

At the conclusion of the season, Butler signed Stevens to a seven-year contract. "We are extremely excited to reach this long-term agreement to have Brad continue to lead our program," Collier remarked.

### 2008–09 season

Butler lost four starters after the 2007–08 season, and was picked to finish fifth in the Horizon league during the 2008–09 season. The team got off to a 12–1 start that won Stevens the Hugh Durham mid-season coaching award. On February 5, Stevens notched his 50th win as Butler beat Detroit 66–61. In so doing, Stevens became the sixth head coach in NCAA history to reach 50 wins in 56 games or fewer. Butler finished first in the Horizon League with a 15–3 in conference record, defying preseason expectations. Butler lost the Horizon League tournament final 57–54 to Cleveland State, but made the NCAA tournament as an at-large selection. The team received the nine seed in the South Regional, and lost to eighth-seeded Louisiana State in the first round by a score of 75–71 to finish the year at 26–6 overall.

Stevens' 56–10 two-year record places him second only to Bill Guthridge (58) in total wins during one's first two years as head coach. Stevens was a finalist for both the Hugh Durham and Jim Phelan Awards for the second straight year and was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year. He was also named as a finalist for the Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award. Stevens was given a one-year contract extension at the conclusion of the season.

### 2009–10 season

Fueled in large part by Gordon Hayward's and Shelvin Mack's roles in leading Team USA to the gold medal in the FIBA Under-19 World Championship during the off-season, Butler began the season ranked 10th in the Coaches' Poll and 11th in the AP Poll. A few commentators picked the Bulldogs as a possible "sleeper team" to make the Final Four. Stevens was not so sure, privately telling his father, "We have a really good team, and I'm not sure how far we can go this year, but next year, we ought to go really far."

Butler got off to a mediocre start, losing twice in the 76 Classic 82–73 to 22nd-ranked Minnesota and to 19th-ranked Clemson 70–69. After the tournament Butler's record stood at 4–2 and the team dropped to \#23 in the AP Poll and \#20 in the Coaches' Poll. Butler won its next two games before falling to 13th-ranked Georgetown 72–65 in the Jimmy V Classic. The team won its next two games beating \#15 Ohio State 74–66 and edging out former conference rival Xavier 69–68, both at home. After losing 67–57 at UAB three days later, Butler stood at 9–4 and fell out of the AP rankings. However, the team remained in the Coaches' Poll at \#23.

Stevens rallied the team, and they proceeded to win 16 straight games before facing Siena in a BracketBusters game. Butler beat Siena 70–53 and Stevens tied the NCAA record for most wins (81) by a head coach in his first three seasons set by Mark Few of Gonzaga in 2002 and tied by Mark Fox of Nevada in 2007.

On February 26, 2010, Butler traveled to Valparaiso for their regular-season finale. Leading scorer Gordon Hayward was sidelined with lower back pain, but the team still won 74–69. In so doing, Stevens broke the coaching record he had tied the prior week and Butler completed an 18–0 undefeated conference schedule. It was Butler's first undefeated conference record since joining the Horizon League, and first since Joe Sexson led the 1978 team to a 6–0 record in the now-defunct Indiana Collegiate Conference. Stevens earned his third straight regular-season conference championship.

In the Horizon league tournament, Stevens' Bulldogs used their home-court advantage to beat Milwaukee 68–59 in the semi-finals and to beat Wright State 70–45 in the finals. The win earned the team an automatic bid into the 2010 NCAA tournament, and completed a 20–0 run through league play. Stevens became the first coach to lead a Horizon League team to both an undefeated regular season and conference tournament since the league was formed in 1979. Stevens was also the only coach in Division I to lead his team to an undefeated conference schedule during the 2009–10 season.

#### NCAA tournament

For their season, the Bulldogs were ranked 8th in the final pre-NCAA tournament Coaches' Poll and 11th in the corresponding AP Poll. On Selection Sunday, the Bulldogs were seeded fifth in the West regional of the NCAA tournament and given a first-round match-up with twelfth-seeded UTEP on March 18.

Many basketball commentators picked UTEP to pull the upset, and at halftime it looked like they might be right, as UTEP led 33–27. Stevens made a number of halftime adjustments, and the Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. The team dominated the second half and won the game 77–59. Butler next faced off with 13th-seeded Murray State. The game was close throughout, but Butler emerged victorious 54–52 when Hayward deflected a Murray State pass into the back court with less than five seconds on the clock. The win gave Stevens the first Sweet Sixteen appearance of his career.

On March 25, 2010, Butler faced top-seeded Syracuse. The Bulldogs got off to a good start, jumping out to a 12–1 lead and a 35–25 halftime advantage. Syracuse rallied in the second half, taking its first lead of the game, 40–39, off a Wes Johnson three-pointer. Stevens called timeout and Butler regained the lead on its next possession, stopping the run. At the 5:32 mark, Syracuse got a rare fast-break opportunity that ended with a dunk and 54–50 lead. Stevens again called time out and re-focused the team. Butler responded by holding Syracuse scoreless for the next five minutes, taking a 60–54 lead with 0:59 to go. Butler held on to win 63–59, advancing to the Elite Eight for the first time in school history.

Two days later, Stevens' Bulldogs met second-seeded Kansas State in the regional finals. Perhaps feeling the effects of their 101–96 double-overtime win two days prior, Kansas State got off to a slow start, scoring just 20 points in the first half to trail 27–20. Butler kept the lead in the upper single digits for most of the second half, before Kansas State went on a 13–2 run and took a 52–51 lead. Stevens immediately called time out and re-focused the team. "Play your game. Just play your game," he told them. On the ensuing possession, Butler regained the lead for good. They outscored Kansas State 12–4 the rest of the way and won the game 63–56. In the post-game celebration, Stevens and walk-on forward Emerson Kampen connected on a flying back-bump that became one of the iconic images of the tournament.

The win earned the Bulldogs a trip to Indianapolis for the first Final Four appearance in school and Horizon League history. The win made Stevens, at age 33, the youngest coach to lead a team to the Final Four since Bob Knight made his first Final Four appearance at age 32 in 1973. Butler became the smallest school (enrollment 4,200) to make the Final Four since seeding began in 1979.

##### Final Four

On April 3, Stevens and the Butler Bulldogs faced off with Michigan State in the national semi-finals. Michigan State took an early 14–7 lead, and Matt Howard got in early foul trouble, sitting most of the first half. Stevens kept the team focused with a "next man up" attitude and the game was tied at 28 at halftime. The second half was dominated by tight defense for both sides. With 2:45 to go in the game, the score was 47–44 Butler. Michigan State called a time out to set up a play. Stevens correctly anticipated the play call and had Ronald Nored, the team's best defender, switch onto Korie Lucious off a screen. Nored stole the ball and Shawn Vanzant got fouled on the resulting run out, hitting 1 of 2. Trailing 50–49 with under 30 seconds remaining, Michigan State came up empty and was forced to foul. Nored hit both foul shots, giving Butler a 52–49 lead. After a Michigan State time-out, Stevens had his team foul Lucious with two seconds remaining to prevent a potentially game tying 3-pointer. After making the first, Lucious intentionally missed the second free throw. Hayward came down with the rebound to seal the victory. Butler became the first team since the shot clock was adopted for the 1985–86 season to hold five straight tournament opponents under 60 points.

On April 5, 2010, Butler and Duke faced off in what The New York Times called "the most eagerly awaited championship game in years". Late in the first half, Duke went on an 8–0 run to take a 26–20 lead. Stevens called a timeout. With starters Matt Howard and Ronald Nored on the bench in foul trouble, Stevens was forced to call on backup center Avery Jukes who came up big for Butler. Jukes scored 10 first half points, tying his season high. At half time, Duke's lead stood at 33–32.

The second half was played very closely, with neither team taking a substantial lead. With 3:16 to play, Duke took a 60–55 lead on two made free throws by Nolan Smith. Butler cut the lead to one point in the final minute and, after a missed Kyle Singler jump shot with 36 seconds remaining, got a chance to retake the lead. Butler was unable to initiate their offense and Stevens called a timeout to set up a play. A failed inbounds attempt and a timeout later, Hayward missed a baseline fade-away jumper and Brian Zoubek came down with the rebound for Duke. He was quickly fouled with less than four seconds remaining. Hayward narrowly missed a desperation half-court shot as time expired, making the final margin 61–59.

The loss snapped Butler's 25-game winning streak, the longest in school history. Butler became the smallest school to play for a National Championship since Jacksonville in 1970. Stevens became the second-youngest head coach to coach in the NCAA National Championship Game, behind Branch McCracken who led the Indiana Hoosiers to the 1940 national championship at age 31. Stevens was named as both a Hugh Durham and Jim Phelan Award finalist for the third consecutive year, losing to Mike Young and Jamie Dixon, respectively. He was also a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award, which was won by Bob Marlin.

Butler finished the year ranked \#2 in the Coaches' Poll, the highest ranking in school history. The school was ranked for 19 consecutive weeks, tying the school record.

### 2010 off-season

After the end of the 2009–10 season, Stevens and Butler continued to attract considerable attention. Then-U.S. president Barack Obama personally called Stevens to congratulate him on Butler's season. David Letterman had Stevens on his show for a guest appearance. Butler admissions inquiries increased by 67%. Stevens received fan letters from around the world, and his phone rang off the hook. Stevens was even invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch before the Chicago Cubs versus Florida Marlins game in Chicago on May 10. "It's all been very surreal," Stevens said. "If you are the runner-up, you don't expect to talk to the president." "It's been a little overwhelming, because I'm a pretty simple guy," he added.

The 2009–10 season also helped increase Butler's recruiting profile. Asked if the increased fame would change things, Stevens said it better not spoil him or the university. "I look at this new challenge of not changing and sticking to your core values and making sure you remain humble as a great coaching opportunity."

### 2010–11 season

Rankings by ESPN's Andy Katz and Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman released shortly after the 2010 championship game both had Butler third for the 2010–11 season. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski agreed, saying Butler would be"right up there, No. 1 or No. 2... They'll be a favorite next year." However, Hayward chose to leave early for the NBA draft and Butler went through a rough patch early in the season, at one point losing three straight games and having a 6–5 conference record. Bolstered by the emergence of Andrew Smith at center and Matt Howard's success as a perimeter forward, Butler ended up winning a share of the conference title at 13–5. The Bulldogs then won the Horizon League tournament to secure an automatic NCAA tournament bid, and received the No. 8 seed.

Picked by many to lose a first-round match-up against Old Dominion, Butler advanced on a last-second tip-in by Howard. Howard was also clutch in their next game, hitting a free throw with a less than one second remaining to beat Pitt in a dramatic finish. Shelvin Mack scored 30 points in the win. Butler won their next game when they defeated Wisconsin. On March 26, 2011, the Bulldogs beat Florida 74–71 in overtime to earn back-to-back trips to the Final Four. On April 2, Butler beat fellow Cinderella team VCU 70–62 to make it to a second consecutive national championship game. For the second consecutive year, the Bulldogs fell in the national championship game, this time to Connecticut.

### Coaching future

On April 8, 2010, Stevens signed a long-term deal with Butler, extending his contract through the 2021–22 season. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed; however, Butler president Bobby Fong had publicly stated that the university could afford to increase Stevens' base salary to approximately US \$1 million a few days prior. Stevens had previously made US\$395,000 plus benefits in base salary, a relatively low figure for a successful Division I head basketball coach. His total compensation for 2009–10 was estimated at US\$750,000. Stevens had received a raise after each of his three seasons at Butler and his contract contains a buyout clause estimated in the high-six or low-seven figures.

> What Butler is, Butler is a great school. We're in a great city. We have a niche from the standpoint of basketball with a good tradition of basketball and a fieldhouse that really embraces the history of the game. So we're very unique. I think being unique is a good thing, too. I think Butler, certainly you always want to improve the facilities you have. We need to do that. There's no question about that. But we also need to remember who we are. I think that's why we're here, because we've got unselfish guys. They have a great passion for history, tradition, team, things like that. So we've been able to recruit to that.

By re-signing with Butler, Stevens temporarily ended speculation that he would leave the university for a higher paying job. Oregon, Clemson, and Wake Forest were all said to be interested in offering Stevens multi-million-dollar contracts to leave Butler. "First and foremost, I'm loyal to Butler," Stevens said. When asked if he would ever leave Butler, Stevens replied "I guess if they kicked me out."

After the 2011–12 season, Stevens was pursued vigorously by Illinois to fill their coaching vacancy before he declined their offer.

In March 2013, UCLA reportedly offered Stevens between \$2.5 and \$3 million a year to leave Butler. Rumors circulated that Stevens was in contract negotiations with UCLA, but ultimately the rumors proved false and Stevens stayed at Butler. Commenting on the situation, a source close to Stevens said "Brad doesn't understand why people would assume he's leaving." A few days later, Stevens reiterated that he was very happy at Butler and had no intentions to leave as long as he had the support of the university to continue running the program the "right way".

## NBA coaching career

### Boston Celtics

On July 3, 2013, Stevens was signed as the head coach for the Boston Celtics to coach in the NBA. In April 2015, in his second season as head coach, Stevens led the Celtics to the 2015 playoffs as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a 40–42 record. On April 21, 2015, it was announced that Stevens finished fourth in voting for the NBA's Coach of the Year Award. In April 2016, Stevens led the Celtics to their second consecutive playoff appearance as the fifth seed in the 2016 playoffs, finishing the season with a 48–34 record.

Stevens was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for April 2015. He led the Celtics to the East's best record in April at 7–1. The Celtics recorded a 4–0 mark on the road, and closed the month with six consecutive victories—five of them against playoff teams. On February 28, 2016, Stevens was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for February. He guided his squad to an Eastern Conference-best 9–3 record during the month, including a perfect 6–0 mark at home. The Celtics (36–25 overall) finished the month in sole possession of third place in the East behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Atlantic Division foe the Toronto Raptors.

On June 1, 2016, Stevens received a contract extension. On February 3, 2017, Stevens was named the Eastern Conference head coach for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. In April 2017, in his fourth season as head coach, Stevens led the Celtics to the 2017 playoffs as the first seed in the Eastern Conference with a 53–29 record. They reached the Eastern Conference finals, where they lost to the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers in five games.

On July 4, 2017, Stevens was reunited with his former college player Gordon Hayward when Hayward signed a contract to play for the Celtics. In the 2017–18 season, the Celtics' roster saw a massive change, as two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for Kyrie Irving. Stevens and the Celtics went 55–27, finishing the season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference, despite losing Hayward for the season to a broken ankle in the first game of the season and Irving missing significant playing time due to knee injuries. Despite Irving missing the playoffs, Stevens led the Celtics on a deep playoff run, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games in the Eastern Conference finals. Stevens was considered a front-runner for the NBA Coach of the Year Award, but lost to Dwane Casey of the Toronto Raptors.

## Executive career

On June 2, 2021, the Celtics named Stevens president of basketball operations, replacing Danny Ainge, who announced his retirement. On June 18, 2021, Stevens made his first transaction in his new position trading away Kemba Walker, the 16th pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and a 2025 second-round pick in exchange for Al Horford, Moses Brown, and a 2023 second-round pick. The deal gave the Celtics a bit more financial flexibility with Horford due about \$20 million less than Walker over the next two years. The Celtics also improved their depth in the frontcourt by adding Horford and Moses Brown, who recorded 21 points and 23 rebounds, which included 19 rebounds in the first half, in a March 27 game between the Celtics and the Thunder. On June 23, 2021, it was reported that Stevens had made the decision to hire Ime Udoka as his own replacement as head coach of the Celtics. The Celtics advanced to the 2022 NBA Finals in Udoka's first year as coach and Stevens' first year as executive, but lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games. On February 16, 2023, Stevens replaced Udoka with Joe Mazzulla after the former was suspended for a year following an incident in the offseason pertaining to an improper intimate relationship with a female Celtics staff member.

## Coaching style

According to Stevens, in one of his first games as head coach, he was nervous and "felt like our team played on edge" because of it. Stevens decided that a team's play will reflect its coach's mood; a calm coach means a team that will remain poised in difficult game situations, while a nervous coach means a team that plays on edge. "I don't want to lose a game because of my approach," he told himself. Accordingly, Stevens developed a strategy of always remaining calm and focused during games. He rarely raises his voice or gets emotional, instead quietly observing on the sideline with folded arms. Stevens does not get upset about bad calls by referees or player mistakes, preferring to focus on "the next play" rather than what just happened. Butler player Willie Veasley explained Butler's 2010 Final Four run by saying, "When those big runs [by Syracuse and Kansas State] came, Coach called a timeout and said a few calm words. Then he said he believes in us, he loves us and we're going to win the game." On the rare occasion Stevens feels the need to correct a player, he does it with "positive reinforcement, just at a little louder decibel", according to former assistant coach Matthew Graves. Above all, Stevens wants his players to be confident, not living in fear of being yanked for making a bad play.

Externally, Stevens is always calm, but internally he is far from it. "I'm not as calm as everybody thinks," Stevens says. His wife Tracy adds, "He's calm and collected, but he's fiercely competitive. He's always thinking about how he can beat you." Former player Joel Cornette says "Everyone sees Brad as a level-headed, calm and cool coach, but he's about as competitive of a guy as I know. We would get into it constantly, whether playing two-on-two or arguing about players' having better college careers."

Stevens spends a lot of time preparing for each game, and always tries to add a few new wrinkles specific to that game's opponent. Sports Illustrated calls him an expert "on breaking down tape and looking at statistical trends to find opponents' weaknesses." Former player Ronald Nored agrees: "We know everything we need to about our opponents, all their tendencies are broken down" ahead of time.

Stevens is a proponent of statistical analysis to enhance his coaching decisions, spending almost as much time looking at statistics as watching game film. "I think it's a unique way of looking at the game that may be able to help best communicate to your players", Stevens explains. For example, when Butler was slumping in late 2010, Stevens challenged his team: "this [46% defensive field goal percentage] is where we are. This isn't acceptable to get to where we want to go. But what does that really mean? It's not just get better defensively, it is, if we give up three less baskets a game, then we will be at 40 percent field goal percentage defense which will be top 20 in the country". The team got the message, improved throughout the season, and ultimately went on a March run fueled by defense. In 2012, Stevens became the first college coach to hire someone solely for statistical research when he added Drew Cannon to the staff. If he had the resources, Stevens says he would hire a team of statisticians to analyze the team's play.

Stevens' teams are built around solid basketball fundamentals and good teamwork rather than individual basketball skill. His teams are known for their defense, forcing opponents into uncharacteristic mistakes. The secret to basketball—and life—is "just to do the job to the best of your ability and don't worry about anything else," Stevens says. "Win the next game. Win the next possession. That's our focus. It's boring. It's also the way championships are won", he says. In short, Stevens is a strong believer in "The Butler Way"—doing all the little things that transform a group of good basketball players into a great basketball team. "I tell the players 'the Butler Way' isn't easy to define," Stevens says, "but you can see it on the floor when we share the basketball, play with great energy and defend."

Stevens prefers to recruit strong team players instead of going after "top recruits." "The guys we [have] recruited, most of them weren't very highly ranked," he says. "They had very good high school careers or careers at other places (transfers), but for one reason or the other they weren't seen as great players. But they all had intangibles." Stevens puts a strong emphasis on education and has said he would only recruit a "one and done" player if he was committed to getting his degree while playing professionally.

Stevens has often been referred to as a coaching prodigy, but is not interested in self-promotion. He instead prefers to deflect the praise he receives to the players, athletic department, and his mentors. Stevens has not been known to posture for more money, or to leak his name for open coaching positions. He has been described as humble, modest, and not "about the money".

The New York Times, USA Today, ESPN, and other commentators attributed Butler's success against teams with superior athletes to Stevens' coaching style. The Times remarked, "the Bulldogs are very well prepared for their opponents, and they do not rattle easily", and says that the resulting confidence has led to the team's success. "He coaches to his personality and to his strengths," Collier says. "Obviously, he has great rapport and communication ability with his team." Yahoo! Sports compared Stevens to legendary coach John Wooden, writing "Brad Stevens is winning at Butler the Wooden way—calm and composed on the sideline." Wooden agreed, saying, "I enjoy watching [Stevens] and very much enjoy [Butler's] style of play."

With background at his short Eli Lilly stint, Stevens also gave a priority to mental health in his locker room. Stevens implemented wellness programs and invited Dr. Stephanie Pinder-Amaker, founding director of McLean Hospital's College Mental Health Program, to speak to his players.

## Personal life

Stevens is known for projecting a professional, "corporate" look from the sidelines. Asked what his life would be like if he had never taken up coaching, Stevens replies "If everything else remained the same, I would have been as happy as heck... Friends and family and faith, they're going to take the cake over all this stuff." Stevens met his wife, Tracy (née Wilhelmy), while attending DePauw University. Tracy, who played soccer for DePauw, quickly learned of Brad's love for basketball; on their third date he drove her an hour and a half to attend a high school basketball game. Tracy graduated from Rocky River High School in 1995, and from DePauw in 1999. She returned to school in 2000, driving five hours from Case Western's law school to Indianapolis on weekends to see Stevens. She finished her final year of law school in Indianapolis, and the couple married in August 2003. Tracy works as a labor and employment lawyer, and also serves as Stevens' agent. Stevens and his wife have two children.

Brad and Tracy are involved with the American Cancer Society's Coaches Vs. Cancer. Stevens says that the cause really hit home for them after Tracy's mother died of the disease in June 2004. The day before Butler's 2010 Final Four appearance, they hosted a fundraiser for the organization. Stevens has also volunteered his time to the Jukes Foundation for Kids, a charity benefiting Ugandan children run by former Butler player Avery Jukes. Stevens remains in close contact with the Butler basketball family; he notably took a one-game leave from the Celtics in January 2016 to visit with Andrew Smith, a player on both of Butler's Final Four teams who was dying of cancer; Smith died less than a week later. At the request of Andrew's widow, Sam, Stevens delivered the eulogy at the memorial service on January 17, 2016.

Stevens' father, Mark, is an orthopedic surgeon in Indianapolis who played college football for Indiana. His mother, Jan, is a university professor who has previously taught at Butler.

## Head coaching record

### College

### NBA

\|- \| style="text-align:left;"\|Boston \| style="text-align:left;"\|2013–14 \| 82\|\|25\|\|57\|\|.305\|\| style="text-align:left;"\|4th in Atlantic\|\|\|—\|\|—\|\|—\|\|— \| style="text-align:center;"\|Missed Playoffs \|- \| style="text-align:left;"\|Boston \| style="text-align:left;"\|2014–15 \| 82\|\|40\|\|42\|\|.488\|\| style="text-align:left;"\|2nd in Atlantic \|\|\|4\|\|0\|\|4\|\|.000 \| style="text-align:center;"\|Lost in First round \|- \| style="text-align:left;"\|Boston \| style="text-align:left;"\|2015–16 \| 82\|\|48\|\|34\|\|.585\|\| style="text-align:left;"\|2nd in Atlantic\|\|\|6\|\|2\|\|4\|\|.333 \| style="text-align:center;"\|Lost in First round \|- \| style="text-align:left;"\|Boston \| style="text-align:left;"\|2016–17 \| 82\|\|53\|\|29\|\|.646\|\| style="text-align:left;"\|1st in Atlantic\|\|18\|\|9\|\|9\|\|.500 \| style="text-align:center;"\|Lost in Conference finals \|- \| style="text-align:left;"\|Boston \| style="text-align:left;"\|2017–18 \| 82\|\|55\|\|27\|\|.671\|\| style="text-align:left;"\|2nd in Atlantic\|\|19\|\|11\|\|8\|\|.579 \| style="text-align:center;"\|Lost in Conference finals \|- \| style="text-align:left;"\|Boston \| style="text-align:left;"\|2018–19 \| 82\|\|49\|\|33\|\|.598\|\| style="text-align:left;"\|3rd in Atlantic\|\|9\|\|5\|\|4\|\|.556 \| style="text-align:center;"\|Lost in Conference semifinals \|- \| style="text-align:left;"\|Boston \| style="text-align:left;"\|2019–20 \| 72\|\|48\|\|24\|\|.667\|\| style="text-align:left;"\|2nd in Atlantic\|\|17\|\|10\|\|7\|\|.588 \| style="text-align:center;"\|Lost in Conference finals \|- \| style="text-align:left;"\|Boston \| style="text-align:left;"\|2020–21 \| 72\|\|36\|\|36\|\|.500\|\| style="text-align:left;"\|4th in Atlantic\|\|5\|\|1\|\|4\|\|.200 \| style="text-align:center;"\|Lost in First round \|- class="sortbottom" \| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"\|Career \| 636\|\|354\|\|282\|\|.557\|\| \|\|78\|\|38\|\|40\|\|.487\|\|

### Awards and nominations

- Henry Iba Coach of the Year Award finalist (2009)
- Horizon League Coach of the Year (2009, 2010)
- Hugh Durham Award for Mid-major Coach of the Year finalist (2008, 2009, 2010)
- Hugh Durham Award Mid-season honors (2009)
- Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award finalist (2008, 2009, 2010)
- Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award finalist (2010)

## See also

- List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach

American basketball executive and former coach and player

Butler Bulldogs men's basketball coaches

College men's basketball head coaches in the United States

Sportspeople from the Indianapolis metropolitan area


Hair (Lady Gaga song)

"Hair" is a song recorded by American singer Lady Gaga for her second studio album, Born This Way (2011). Written and produced by herself and Nadir "RedOne" Khayat, "Hair" was released worldwide digitally on May 16, 2011, as a promotional single from the album, as part of the iTunes Store's "Countdown to Born This Way" release. This was after the previous promotional release, "The Edge of Glory", was made the third single from the album.

According to Lady Gaga, the melody of "Hair" resembles the work of metal bands Kiss and Iron Maiden, and is also influenced by Bruce Springsteen. The song is an uptempo club record inspired by Gaga's experience as a teenager, when her parents forced her to dress in a certain way. Gaga found that the only way to express herself was through her hair, and she described it as a song about liberation and her ability to change her ways. The lyrics talk about embracing one's hairstyle as their ultimate expression of freedom. "Hair" was recorded while Gaga was on tour with The Monster Ball throughout Europe. The song features a saxophone solo performed by saxophonist Clarence Clemons, a prominent member of The E Street Band. She personally wanted Clemons to play saxophone on the song, which he did by recording his part at a Manhattan studio at midnight, after he had just flown there from his home in Florida.

"Hair" has been critically appreciated for its message of self-liberation, individualism and empowerment, though some felt that the usage of the term hair to express these messages was not particularly new. "Hair" charted in most musical markets, reaching the top-ten in New Zealand and Scotland, while in other nations, it charted within the top-twenty, including the Billboard Hot 100 of the United States. Gaga performed the song on Good Morning America as part of their "Summer Concert Series", on Paul O'Grady Live in the United Kingdom, and on The Howard Stern Show. Later the song was added to the set list of Gaga's Born This Way Ball tour (2012–2013).

## Background and release

"Hair" was written and produced by Gaga and RedOne, and the name of the song was revealed through an interview with Vogue magazine in February 2011. On The Graham Norton Show, Gaga explained the origin of the song, which involves the analogy of her hair with freedom, and how that is the only part of her body she can change without anyone judging her. According to a press listening in February, "Hair" draws inspiration from Pat Benatar's "We Belong", while thematically focusing on empowering lyrics similar to those of "Born This Way". Gaga elaborated on the song's inspiration further with a video posted on her Twitter account: "When I was a kid, I used to always come down the stairs of my parents' house, and they would say, 'Go back upstairs and brush your hair, change your clothes, you can't go out wearing that', and I felt like it was stifling my identity... My hair was my glory. It was the only thing that I could change about myself."

Initially "Hair" was supposed to be released as the second promotional single from Born This Way, following "The Edge of Glory", on May 16, 2011. However, after its release to the digital stores, "The Edge of Glory" started selling considerable amount of digital downloads, prompting Gaga to make it the third single from Born This Way. Hence, "Hair" became the first promotional release from the album. Gaga noted that although "Hair" was not planned to be an official single, it could be released as such, if it was to sell well at the digital outlets like "The Edge of Glory". Gaga also revealed her artwork for "Hair" on May 13, 2011, on her Twitter account. The black and white cover features a pink-haired Gaga lying upside down on the floor in a sharp-edged leather outfit, which features protruding nipple spikes. It was photographed by her longtime collaborator and friend Nick Knight. Later on in the same day, Gaga tweeted the line: "The Born This Way Itunes Countdown will release my song HAIR 2moro 1pm PST."

## Recording and composition

During an interview with Ryan Seacrest on his radio program On Air with Ryan Seacrest, Gaga described "Hair" as an up-tempo club record, with Bruce Springsteen overtones to it. She also revealed the involvement of Clarence Clemons playing sax on the record. Other influences included metal bands like Kiss and Iron Maiden on the melody. She revealed some of the lines of the song on Seacrest's show, "This is my prayer, that I'll die living just as free as my hair", adding that the composition of "Hair" was interesting since it was juxtaposing saxophone with a dance record. In an interview with radio station Z-100 she added, "Some of those themes are explored more on this album. To put my money where my mouth is." Gaga's references for the saxophone solo was the music of E Street Band and Bruce Springsteen; to her they represented a different genre of music, at the same time encompassing all the different elements of it. She ultimately decided to ask Clemons from E Street Band to play the instrument.

With Rolling Stone, Clemons described how he recorded the saxophone solo with Gaga. In January 2011, Clemons was putting together an exercise machine in his Florida house when his wife told him that Gaga's representatives were on the phone, and they wanted him to play on her upcoming album. Since the call was on a Friday, Clemons replied that he would be able to record it on the coming week, but Gaga was adamant to have him at the New York recording studio on that day itself. After accepting her request, Clemons went to New York and reached the recording studio in Manhattan at midnight. Gaga wanted him to play saxophone on multiple tracks, one of them being "Hair". Before Clemons started work on the song, she explained the lyrics to him. "It made so much sense," he said. "It's a story about growing up." She gave him few instructions about how to play on the song, saying "'We'll put the tape on and you just play. Play from your heart. Play what you feel.'". The recording was finished by 3:00 am, after a few takes. Clemons added that he was surprised for "getting paid for this. I would have done it for free. I can never believe something that feels so good earns me money." According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the song is written in the time signature of common time. It is composed in the key of F major, with a tempo of 135 beats per minute. Gaga's vocals span from E3 to D5, and the song follows a basic sequence of F–C–Dm–B as its chord progression.

"Hair" was recorded mostly while Gaga was on tour in Europe, but the mixing was done by Gene Grimaldi at Oasis Mastering in Burbank, California. It is a disco song that begins with Gaga singing the line "Whenever I dress cool, my parents put up a fight/ And if I'm a hot shot, Mom will cut my hair at night/ And in the morning I'm short of my identity/ I scream, 'Mom and Dad, why can't I be who I want to be?" As the music grows louder, Gaga sings the sing along chorus of the song, gradually moving towards the breakdown—which is inspired by retro music—talking about the different hairstyles she has had. Jocelyn Vena from MTV described the track as a "fist-pumping, defiant disco track all about having a good time." Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone called it a mixture of yearning romantic melodrama of "We Belong" with the hard industrial metal edge of Broken-era Nine Inch Nails. Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune felt that Gaga's vocals are Auto-Tuned throughout the song. The lyrics of "Hair" talk about embracing one's hairstyle as the ultimate expression of their identity, hence it ends with Gaga triumphantly declaring "I am my hair!" at the end of the final chorus.

## Critical reception

"Hair" has received mostly positive reviews. An hour before starting the final leg of The Monster Ball Tour, Gaga sent four tracks to Rolling Stone, including “Hair”, "Scheiße", "You and I", and "The Edge of Glory", for a preview. Matthew Perpetua wrote a positive review of "Hair", describing it as another inspirational song in the mold of "Born This Way", but felt that it was a bit weirder. Perpetua concluded the review by jokingly adding that the song will become "[a]n anthem for salons everywhere." Jody Rosen from the same publication felt that "although Gaga is not the first singer to create a connection between self-esteem and liberation to free-flowing coiffure, she seems to be the most committed to the idea." Dan Martin from NME classified "Hair" as an empowerment anthem, using the "simple image of the wind blowing through a person’s hair to illuminate the album’s Love-Yourself-And-Let-It-All-Hang-Out message way more effectively than the title track. It trumps it once again by being quite the gayest thing you will ever hear for a long time." Tim Jonze from The Guardian felt that the message of "Hair" was not particularly a new one, since the 60's musical Hair also preached the same message. Although he described some of the lyrics as "trite", Jonze opined that "these weaknesses can also be strengths, and there's something admirable about the way the [track] address confused teenagers in search of their identity." Writing for The Vancouver Sun, Leah Collins described the song as "a pumping anthem designed to pump up your follicles with pride." She added that the overall feel of the song was that of retro dance music.

Natalie Finn from E! Online was disappointed with the track, feeling that although the releases from Born This Way were not that "catchy", all of them were about the same subject of "the importance of being ourselves. Oh well, maybe we're just waiting for the next 'Bad Romance' to sweep us off our feet. Or the next 'Speechless' to make us cry. Or even the next 'Just Dance' to really make us want to dance." Jason Lipshultz from Billboard felt that the track was another anthem for individualism, with Gaga's hair used as a metaphor for her wild personality. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine gave a mixed review stating that the song is a "derivative but perfectly serviceable club track about highlights that's turned into a dumping ground for every bad idea Gaga's had in the last 12 months: schmaltzy piano-woman melodies, overwrought choruses, inexplicable sax solos." Rick Fulton, while writing in the Daily Record, called "Hair" a "great tune" and a "Europop high-energy epic", while giving it four out of five points. Ian Hope from BBC Online described "Hair" as an "empowering freeway rocker about self expression." The Independent writer Andy Gill compared the song to those by guitarist David Crosby, and described it as a statement of rebellious individuality. According to Los Angeles Times' Randall Roberts, Gaga "celebrates her follicles" in the song.

## Chart performance

"Hair" charted in most musical markets and its debut became its peak position; the song was present for a maximum of two weeks. In the United Kingdom, "Hair" debuted at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. Along with the song, Gaga's other singles—"The Edge of Glory", "Judas" and "Born This Way"—were all within the top twenty on the chart, making Gaga the first female artist since Ruby Murray in 1955, to have four songs simultaneously within the top twenty. As of March 2020, the song has sold 50,000 copies and acquired 2.3 million streams. In Australia, "Hair" debuted at number 20 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was present for two weeks in the top-fifty. In the Netherlands, "Hair" debuted at number 15 on the Single Top 100 chart, and at number 14 on the Irish Singles Chart.

In the United States, "Hair" debuted at number five on the Hot Digital Songs chart with first-week sales of 147,000 copies. Consequently it entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 12, becoming the highest debuting single of the week. According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Hair" has sold 174,000 copies of digital downloads as of January 2012. In Canada, the song sold 15,000 digital downloads, and entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number 11, as the highest debut of the week. "Hair" also reached the top ten in the charts of Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland and Spain, and top twenty in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia region) and France. Its lowest position was on the Danish Singles Chart at number 29, and in the Gaon International download chart of South Korea, it reached a peak position of number 21.

## Live performances

On May 27, 2011, Gaga performed the song on Good Morning America as a part of their "Summer Concert Series". She was dressed in purple horns and a black and blond ponytail, and was placed atop a black staircase, with her leg perched on top of a black unicorn shaped piano. Dedicating the song to her mother, Gaga sang an acoustic version of "Hair", which Sheila Marikar from ABC News reviewed positively, saying that it "really brought the house down." Christian Blauvelt from Entertainment Weekly was also impressed with the acoustic version, saying that "at a keyboard, Gaga's never better at injecting enough passion and commitment to sell even the corniest lyrics about follicular empowerment."

Gaga performed "Hair" on The Paul O'Grady Show on June 17, 2011. The song was the first of the four performances planned, and Gaga opened the show with her sitting on the piano. She appeared bald but wore a teal colored fringed dress, and sang an acoustic version of "Hair", while staring at a teal colored wig placed in front of her. Halfway through the performance, Gaga took the wig and placed it on her head. Ryan Love of Digital Spy had a preview of the recording of the show, and commented that when "it's just GaGa  [sic] on the piano, you can't help but be impressed." Cynthia Robinson from The Huffington Post theorized that Gaga pretending to be bald was not a "fashion statement", instead she was "saying something about shedding that skin, that costume, that barrier that she created with all of her vaunted costumes—at least so that people know what she is inside before putting it back on."

At French television show Taratata, Gaga performed “Hair” while playing the piano. She appeared in the show in a long turquoise blue wig, that was attached to a replica of the Eiffel Tower, with the word "Paris" written on her chest. After performing the song, she improvised part of the track in French. During her promotional performances of the songs from Born This Way in Taiwan, Gaga sang "Hair" and played the piano in a black bra, against the backdrop of many red lanterns and a red arch, a set created specially for the Taiwan show. She later explained in a press conference the inspiration behind the performance: "Like the gentleman [the host] just mentioned, that lantern means prosperity and it's about the future. I'm always thinking about the future of my generation and the voice of my generation when I write music."

At the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas on September 24, 2011, Gaga dedicated a performance of "Hair" to deceased teenager Jamey Rodemeyer, who had committed suicide after being constantly bullied by his peers at school for being gay. An image of Rodemeyer was shown on the backdrop as Gaga announced: "We lost a Little Monster this week. I wrote this record about how your identity is really all you've got when you're in school... so tonight, Jamey, I know you're up there looking at us, and you're not a victim... you're a lesson to all of us. I know it's a bit of a downer, but sometimes the right thing is more important than the music", after which she sang a piano version of "Hair".

The song was also included in the setlist of her Born This Way Ball tour (2012–2013), where she played the song on a keyboard that was installed on a motorbike. To Kwaak Je-yup of The Korea Times was positive about the performance of the song during the tour saying that, "The highlight of the night was her first slow jam 'Hair,' which she introduced as her favorite track on the 'Born This Way' album. (...) She flubbed her line once and admitted it right away — 'I'm getting too excited (that) I forgot my lines,' she said — but the moment made the experience personal." On the second night of Gaga's show in the Philippines, she addressed the protests by Christian groups against her performances in the country, directly before performing "Hair". While playing the piano she stated that she is aware of the issues around her image and music, she emphasized that she respects all kinds of religion, people and culture – including Filipino culture. She also said that she respects that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but stressed "What I don’t respect is homophobia and hatred...I reject intolerance to the gay community." This drew cheers from the audience. She went on to say that she is aware some are using her name to spread hatred but intended to counter this by continuing to spread "positivity" in her own way.

## Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Born This Way.

- Lady Gaga – vocals, songwriter and producer
- Nadir "RedOne" Khayat – songwriter, producer, vocal editing, vocal arrangement, background vocals, audio engineering, instrumentation, programming and recording at Tour Bus in Europe
- Trevor Muzzy – guitar, recording, vocal editing, audio engineering, audio mixing at Larrabee, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
- Dave Russell – recording and audio engineering
- Clarence Clemons – saxophone
- Gene Grimaldi – audio mastering at Oasis Mastering, Burbank, California

## Charts


Banded iron formation

Banded iron formations (BIFs; also called banded ironstone formations) are distinctive units of sedimentary rock consisting of alternating layers of iron oxides and iron-poor chert. They can be up to several hundred meters in thickness and extend laterally for several hundred kilometers. Almost all of these formations are of Precambrian age and are thought to record the oxygenation of the Earth's oceans. Some of the Earth's oldest rock formations, which formed about (Ma), are associated with banded iron formations.

Banded iron formations are thought to have formed in sea water as the result of oxygen production by photosynthetic cyanobacteria. The oxygen combined with dissolved iron in Earth's oceans to form insoluble iron oxides, which precipitated out, forming a thin layer on the ocean floor. Each band is similar to a varve, resulting from cyclic variations in oxygen production.

Banded iron formations were first discovered in northern Michigan in 1844. Banded iron formations account for more than 60% of global iron reserves and provide most of the iron ore presently mined. Most formations can be found in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, and the United States.

## Description

A typical banded iron formation consists of repeated, thin layers (a few millimeters to a few centimeters in thickness) of silver to black iron oxides, either magnetite (Fe3O4) or hematite (Fe2O3), alternating with bands of iron-poor chert, often red in color, of similar thickness. A single banded iron formation can be up to several hundred meters in thickness and extend laterally for several hundred kilometers.

Banded iron formation is more precisely defined as chemically precipitated sedimentary rock containing greater than 15% iron. However, most BIFs have a higher content of iron, typically around 30% by mass, so that roughly half the rock is iron oxides and the other half is silica. The iron in BIFs is divided roughly equally between the more oxidized ferric form, Fe(III), and the more reduced ferrous form, Fe(II), so that the ratio Fe(III)/Fe(II+III) typically varies from 0.3 to 0.6. This indicates a predominance of magnetite, in which the ratio is 0.67, over hematite, for which the ratio is 1. In addition to the iron oxides (hematite and magnetite), the iron sediment may contain the iron-rich carbonates siderite and ankerite, or the iron-rich silicates minnesotaite and greenalite. Most BIFs are chemically simple, containing little but iron oxides, silica, and minor carbonate, though some contain significant calcium and magnesium, up to 9% and 6.7% as oxides respectively.

When used in the singular, the term banded iron formation refers to the sedimentary lithology just described. The plural form, banded iron formations, is used informally to refer to stratigraphic units that consist primarily of banded iron formation.

A well-preserved banded iron formation typically consists of macrobands several meters thick that are separated by thin shale beds. The macrobands in turn are composed of characteristic alternating layers of chert and iron oxides, called mesobands, that are several millimeters to a few centimeters thick. Many of the chert mesobands contain microbands of iron oxides that are less than a millimeter thick, while the iron mesobands are relatively featureless. BIFs tend to be extremely hard, tough, and dense, making them highly resistant to erosion, and they show fine details of stratification over great distances, suggesting they were deposited in a very low-energy environment; that is, in relatively deep water, undisturbed by wave motion or currents. BIFs only rarely interfinger with other rock types, tending to form sharply bounded discrete units that never grade laterally into other rock types.

Banded iron formations of the Great Lakes region and the Frere Formation of western Australia are somewhat different in character and are sometimes described as granular iron formations or GIFs. Their iron sediments are granular to oolitic in character, forming discrete grains about a millimeter in diameter, and they lack microbanding in their chert mesobands. They also show more irregular mesobanding, with indications of ripples and other sedimentary structures, and their mesobands cannot be traced out any great distance. Though they form well-defined, discrete units, these are commonly interbedded with coarse to medium-grained epiclastic sediments (sediments formed by weathering of rock). These features suggest a higher energy depositional environment, in shallower water disturbed by wave motions. However, they otherwise resemble other banded iron formations.

The great majority of banded iron formations are Archean or Paleoproterozoic in age. However, a small number of BIFs are Neoproterozoic in age, and are frequently, if not universally, associated with glacial deposits, often containing glacial dropstones. They also tend to show a higher level of oxidation, with hematite prevailing over magnetite, and they typically contain a small amount of phosphate, about 1% by mass. Mesobanding is often poor to nonexistent and soft-sediment deformation structures are common. This suggests very rapid deposition. However, like the granular iron formations of the Great Lakes, the Neoproterozoic occurrences are widely described as banded iron formations.

Banded iron formations are distinct from most Phanerozoic ironstones. Ironstones are relatively rare and are thought to have been deposited in marine anoxic events, in which the depositional basin became depleted in free oxygen. They are composed of iron silicates and oxides without appreciable chert but with significant phosphorus content, which is lacking in BIFs.

No classification scheme for banded iron formations has gained complete acceptance. In 1954, Harold Lloyd James advocated a classification based on four lithological facies (oxide, carbonate, silicate, and sulfide) assumed to represent different depths of deposition, but this speculative model did not hold up. In 1980, Gordon A. Gross advocated a twofold division of BIFs into an Algoma type and a Lake Superior type, based on the character of the depositional basin. Algoma BIFs are found in relatively small basins in association with greywackes and other volcanic rocks and are assumed to be associated with volcanic centers. Lake Superior BIFs are found in larger basins in association with black shales, quartzites, and dolomites, with relatively minor tuffs or other volcanic rocks, and are assumed to have formed on a continental shelf. This classification has been more widely accepted, but the failure to appreciate that it is strictly based on the characteristics of the depositional basin and not the lithology of the BIF itself has led to confusion, and some geologists have advocated for its abandonment. However, the classification into Algoma versus Lake Superior types continues to be used.

## Occurrence

Banded iron formations are almost exclusively Precambrian in age, with most deposits dating to the late Archean (2800-2500 Ma) with a secondary peak of deposition in the Orosirian period of the Paleoproterozoic (1850 Ma). Minor amounts were deposited in the early Archean and in the Neoproterozoic (750 Ma). The youngest known banded iron formation is an Early Cambrian formation in western China. Because the processes by which BIFs are formed appear to be restricted to early geologic time, and may reflect unique conditions of the Precambrian world, they have been intensively studied by geologists.

Banded iron formations are found worldwide, in every continental shield of every continent. The oldest BIFs are associated with greenstone belts and include the BIFs of the Isua Greenstone Belt, the oldest known, which have an estimated age of 3700 to 3800 Ma. The Temagami banded iron deposits formed over a 50-million-year period, from 2736 to 2687 Ma, and reached a thickness of 60 meters (200 feet). Other examples of early Archean BIFs are found in the Abitibi greenstone belts, the greenstone belts of the Yilgarn and Pilbara cratons, the Baltic shield, and the cratons of the Amazon, north China, and south and west Africa.

The most extensive banded iron formations belong to what A.F. Trendall calls the Great Gondwana BIFs. These are late Archean in age and are not associated with greenstone belts. They are relatively undeformed and form extensive topographic plateaus, such as the Hamersley Range. The banded iron formations here were deposited from 2470 to 2450 Ma and are the thickest and most extensive in the world, with a maximum thickness in excess of 900 meters (3,000 feet). Similar BIFs are found in the Carajás Formation of the Amazon craton, the Cauê Itabirite of the São Francisco craton, the Kuruman Iron Formation and Penge Iron Formation of South Africa, and the Mulaingiri Formation of India.

Paleoproterozoic banded iron formations are found in the Iron Range and other parts of the Canadian Shield. The Iron Range is a group of four major deposits: the Mesabi Range, the Vermilion Range, the Gunflint Range, and the Cuyuna Range. All are part of the Animikie Group and were deposited between 2500 and 1800 Ma. These BIFs are predominantly granular iron formations.

Neoproterozoic banded iron formations include the Urucum in Brazil, Rapitan in the Yukon, and the Damara Belt in southern Africa. They are relatively limited in size, with horizontal extents not more than a few tens of kilometers and thicknesses not more than about 10 meters (33 feet). These are widely thought to have been deposited under unusual anoxic oceanic conditions associated with the "Snowball Earth."

## Origins

Banded iron formation provided some of the first evidence for the timing of the Great Oxidation Event, 2,400 Ma. With his 1968 paper on the early atmosphere and oceans of the earth, Preston Cloud established the general framework that has been widely, if not universally, accepted for understanding the deposition of BIFs.

Cloud postulated that banded iron formations were a consequence of anoxic, iron-rich waters from the deep ocean welling up into a photic zone inhabited by cyanobacteria that had evolved the capacity to carry out oxygen-producing photosynthesis, but which had not yet evolved enzymes (such as superoxide dismutase) for living in an oxygenated environment. Such organisms would have been protected from their own oxygen waste through its rapid removal via the reservoir of reduced ferrous iron, Fe(II), in the early ocean. The oxygen released by photosynthesis oxidized the Fe(II) to ferric iron, Fe(III), which precipitated out of the sea water as insoluble iron oxides that settled to the ocean floor.

Cloud suggested that banding resulted from fluctuations in the population of cyanobacteria due to free radical damage by oxygen. This also explained the relatively limited extent of early Archean deposits. The great peak in BIF deposition at the end of the Archean was thought to be the result of the evolution of mechanisms for living with oxygen. This ended self-poisoning and produced a population explosion in the cyanobacteria that rapidly depleted the remaining supply of reduced iron and ended most BIF deposition. Oxygen then began to accumulate in the atmosphere.

Some details of Cloud's original model were abandoned. For example, improved dating of Precambrian strata has shown that the late Archean peak of BIF deposition was spread out over tens of millions of years, rather than taking place in a very short interval of time following the evolution of oxygen-coping mechanisms. However, his general concepts continue to shape thinking about the origins of banded iron formations. In particular, the concept of the upwelling of deep ocean water, rich in reduced iron, into an oxygenated surface layer poor in iron remains a key element of most theories of deposition.

The few formations deposited after 1,800 Ma may point to intermittent low levels of free atmospheric oxygen, while the small peak at may be associated with the hypothetical Snowball Earth.

### Formation processes

The microbands within chert layers are most likely varves produced by annual variations in oxygen production. Diurnal microbanding would require a very high rate of deposition of 2 meters per year or 5 km/Ma. Estimates of deposition rate based on various models of deposition and sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) estimates of the age of associated tuff beds suggest a deposition rate in typical BIFs of 19 to 270 m/Ma, which are consistent either with annual varves or rhythmites produced by tidal cycles.

Preston Cloud proposed that mesobanding was a result of self-poisoning by early cyanobacteria as the supply of reduced iron was periodically depleted. Mesobanding has also been interpreted as a secondary structure, not present in the sediments as originally laid down, but produced during compaction of the sediments. Another theory is that mesobands are primary structures resulting from pulses of activity along mid-ocean ridges that change the availability of reduced iron on time scales of decades. In the case of granular iron formations, the mesobands are attributed to winnowing of sediments in shallow water, in which wave action tended to segregate particles of different size and composition.

For banded iron formations to be deposited, several preconditions must be met.

1. The deposition basin must contain waters that are ferruginous (rich in iron).
2. This implies they are also anoxic, since ferrous iron oxidizes to ferric iron within hours or days in the presence of dissolved oxygen. This would prevent transport of large quantities of iron from its sources to the deposition basin.
3. The waters must not be euxinic (rich in hydrogen sulfide), since this would cause the ferrous iron to precipitate out as pyrite.
4. There must be an oxidation mechanism active within the depositional basin that steadily converts the reservoir of ferrous iron to ferric iron.

#### Source of reduced iron

There must be an ample source of reduced iron that can circulate freely into the deposition basin. Plausible sources of iron include hydrothermal vents along mid-ocean ridges, windblown dust, rivers, glacial ice, and seepage from continental margins.

The importance of various sources of reduced iron has likely changed dramatically across geologic time. This is reflected in the division of BIFs into Algoma and Lake Superior-type deposits. Algoma-type BIFs formed primarily in the Archean. These older BIFs tend to show a positive europium anomaly consistent with a hydrothermal source of iron. By contrast, Lake Superior-type banded iron formations primarily formed during the Paleoproterozoic era, and lack the europium anomalies of the older Algoma-type BIFs, suggesting a much greater input of iron weathered from continents.

#### Absence of oxygen or hydrogen sulfide

The absence of hydrogen sulfide in anoxic ocean water can be explained either by reduced sulfur flux into the deep ocean or a lack of dissimilatory sulfate reduction (DSR), the process by which microorganisms use sulfate in place of oxygen for respiration. The product of DSR is hydrogen sulfide, which readily precipitates iron out of solution as pyrite.

The requirement of an anoxic, but not euxinic, deep ocean for deposition of banded iron formation suggests two models to explain the end of BIF deposition 1.8 billion years ago. The "Holland ocean" model proposes that the deep ocean became sufficiently oxygenated at that time to end transport of reduced iron. Heinrich Holland argues that the absence of manganese deposits during the pause between Paleoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic BIFs is evidence that the deep ocean had become at least slightly oxygenated. The "Canfield ocean" model proposes that, to the contrary, the deep ocean became euxinic and transport of reduced iron was blocked by precipitation as pyrite.

Banded iron formations in northern Minnesota are overlain by a thick layer of ejecta from the Sudbury Basin impact. An asteroid (estimated at 10 km across) impacted into waters about 1,000 m deep 1.849 billion years ago, coincident with the pause in BIF deposition. Computer models suggest that the impact would have generated a tsunami at least 1,000 meters high at the point of impact, and 100 meters high about 3,000 kilometers away. It has been suggested that the immense waves and large underwater landslides triggered by the impact caused the mixing of a previously stratified ocean, oxygenated the deep ocean, and ended BIF deposition shortly after the impact.

#### Oxidation

Although Cloud argued that microbial activity was a key process in the deposition of banded iron formation, the role of oxygenic versus anoxygenic photosynthesis continues to be debated, and nonbiogenic processes have also been proposed.

##### Oxygenic photosynthesis

Cloud's original hypothesis was that ferrous iron was oxidized in a straightforward manner by molecular oxygen present in the water:

4 Fe2+ + O2 + 10 H2O → 4 Fe(OH)3 + 8 H+

The oxygen comes from the photosynthetic activities of cyanobacteria. Oxidation of ferrous iron may have been hastened by aerobic iron-oxidizing bacteria, which can increase rates of oxidation by a factor of 50 under conditions of low oxygen.

##### Anoxygenic photosynthesis

Oxygenic photosynthesis is not the only biogenic mechanism for deposition of banded iron formations. Some geochemists have suggested that banded iron formations could form by direct oxidation of iron by microbial anoxygenic phototrophs. The concentrations of phosphorus and trace metals in BIFs are consistent with precipitation through the activities of iron-oxidizing bacteria.

Iron isotope ratios in the oldest banded iron formations (3700-3800 Ma), at Isua, Greenland, are best explained by assuming extremely low oxygen levels (\<0.001% of modern O2 levels in the photic zone) and anoxygenic photosynthetic oxidation of Fe(II):

4 Fe2+ + 11 H2O + CO2 + hv → CH2O + 4 Fe(OH)3 + 8 H+

This requires that dissimilatory iron reduction, the biological process in which microorganisms substitute Fe(III) for oxygen in respiration, was not yet widespread. By contrast, Lake Superior-type banded iron formations show iron isotope ratios that suggest that dissimilatory iron reduction expanded greatly during this period.

An alternate route is oxidation by anaerobic denitrifying bacteria. This requires that nitrogen fixation by microorganisms is also active.

10 Fe2+ + 2 NO−3 + 24 H2O → 10 Fe(OH)3 + N2 + 18 H+

##### Abiogenic mechanisms

The lack of organic carbon in banded iron formation argues against microbial control of BIF deposition. On the other hand, there is fossil evidence for abundant photosynthesizing cyanobacteria at the start of BIF deposition and of hydrocarbon markers in shales within banded iron formation of the Pilbara craton. The carbon that is present in banded iron formations is enriched in the light isotope, 12C, an indicator of a biological origin. If a substantial part of the original iron oxides was in the form of hematite, then any carbon in the sediments might have been oxidized by the decarbonization reaction:

6 Fe2O3 + C ⇌ 4 Fe3O4 + CO2

Trendall and J.G. Blockley proposed, but later rejected, the hypothesis that banded iron formation might be a peculiar kind of Precambrian evaporite. Other proposed abiogenic processes include radiolysis by the radioactive isotope of potassium, 40K, or annual turnover of basin water combined with upwelling of iron-rich water in a stratified ocean.

Another abiogenic mechanism is photooxidation of iron by sunlight. Laboratory experiments suggest that this could produce a sufficiently high deposition rate under likely conditions of pH and sunlight. However, if the iron came from a shallow hydrothermal source, other laboratory experiments suggest that precipitation of ferrous iron as carbonates or silicates could seriously compete with photooxidation.

#### Diagenesis

Regardless of the precise mechanism of oxidation, the oxidation of ferrous to ferric iron likely caused the iron to precipitate out as a ferric hydroxide gel. Similarly, the silica component of the banded iron formations likely precipitated as a hydrous silica gel. The conversion of iron hydroxide and silica gels to banded iron formation is an example of diagenesis, the conversion of sediments into solid rock.

There is evidence that banded iron formations formed from sediments with nearly the same chemical composition as is found in the BIFs today. The BIFs of the Hamersley Range show great chemical homogeneity and lateral uniformity, with no indication of any precursor rock that might have been altered to the current composition. This suggests that, other than dehydration and decarbonization of the original ferric hydroxide and silica gels, diagenesis likely left the composition unaltered and consisted of crystallization of the original gels. Decarbonization may account for the lack of carbon and preponderance of magnetite in older banded iron formations. The relatively high content of hematite in Neoproterozoic BIFs suggests they were deposited very quickly and via a process that did not produce great quantities of biomass, so that little carbon was present to reduce hematite to magnetite.

However, it is possible that BIF was altered from carbonate rock or from hydrothermal mud during late stages of diagenesis. A 2018 study found no evidence that magnetite in BIF formed by decarbonization, and suggests that it formed from thermal decomposition of siderite via the reaction

: 3 FeCO3 + H2O → Fe3O4 + 3 CO2 + H2

The iron may have originally precipitated as greenalite and other iron silicates. Macrobanding is then interpreted as a product of compaction of the original iron silicate mud. This produced siderite-rich bands that served as pathways for fluid flow and formation of magnetite.

### The Great Oxidation Event

The peak of deposition of banded iron formations in the late Archean, and the end of deposition in the Orosirian, have been interpreted as markers for the Great Oxygenation Event. Prior to 2.45 billion years ago, the high degree of mass-independent fractionation of sulfur (MIF-S) indicates an extremely oxygen-poor atmosphere. The peak of banded iron formation deposition coincides with the disappearance of the MIF-S signal, which is interpreted as the permanent appearance of oxygen in the atmosphere between 2.41 and 2.35 billion years ago. This was accompanied by the development of a stratified ocean with a deep anoxic layer and a shallow oxidized layer. The end of deposition of BIF at 1.85 billion years ago is attributed to the oxidation of the deep ocean.

### Snowball Earth hypothesis

Until 1992 it was assumed that the rare, later (younger) banded iron deposits represented unusual conditions where oxygen was depleted locally. Iron-rich waters would then form in isolation and subsequently come into contact with oxygenated water. The Snowball Earth hypothesis provided an alternative explanation for these younger deposits. In a Snowball Earth state the continents, and possibly seas at low latitudes, were subject to a severe ice age circa 750 to 580 Ma that nearly or totally depleted free oxygen. Dissolved iron then accumulated in the oxygen-poor oceans (possibly from seafloor hydrothermal vents). Following the thawing of the Earth, the seas became oxygenated once more causing the precipitation of the iron. Banded iron formations of this period are predominantly associated with the Sturtian glaciation.

An alternative mechanism for banded iron formations in the Snowball Earth era suggests the iron was deposited from metal-rich brines in the vicinity of hydrothermally active rift zones due to glacially-driven thermal overturn. The limited extent of these BIFs compared with the associated glacial deposits, their association with volcanic formations, and variation in thickness and facies favor this hypothesis. Such a mode of formation does not require a global anoxic ocean, but is consistent with either a Snowball Earth or Slushball Earth model.

## Economic geology

Banded iron formations provide most of the iron ore presently mined. More than 60% of global iron reserves are in the form of banded iron formation, most of which can be found in Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine, and the United States.

Different mining districts coined their own names for BIFs. The term "banded iron formation" was coined in the iron districts of Lake Superior, where the ore deposits of the Mesabi, Marquette, Cuyuna, Gogebic, and Menominee iron ranges were also variously known as "jasper", "jaspilite", "iron-bearing formation", or taconite. Banded iron formations were described as "itabarite" in Brazil, as "ironstone" in South Africa, and as "BHQ" (banded hematite quartzite) in India.

Banded iron formation was first discovered in northern Michigan in 1844, and mining of these deposits prompted the earliest studies of BIFs, such as those of Charles R. Van Hise and Charles Kenneth Leith. Iron mining operations on the Mesabi and Cuyuna Ranges evolved into enormous open pit mines, where steam shovels and other industrial machines could remove massive amounts of ore. Initially the mines exploited large beds of hematite and goethite weathered out of the banded iron formations, and some 2.5 billion tons of this "natural ore" had been extracted by 1980. By 1956 large-scale commercial production from the BIF itself began at the Peter Mitchell Mine near Babbitt, Minnesota. Production in Minnesota was 40 million tons of ore concentrate per year in 2016, which is about 75% of total U.S. production. Magnetite-rich banded iron formation, known locally as taconite, is ground to a powder, and the magnetite is separated with powerful magnets and pelletized for shipment and smelting.

Iron ore became a global commodity after the Second World War, and with the end of the embargo against exporting iron ore from Australia in 1960, the Hamersley Range became a major mining district. The banded iron formations here are the thickest and most extensive in the world, originally covering an area of 150,000 square kilometers (58,000 square miles) and containing about 300 trillion metric tons of iron. The range contains 80 percent of all identified iron ore reserves in Australia. Over 100 million metric tons of iron ore is removed from the range every year.

The Itabarite banded iron formations of Brazil cover at least 80,000 square kilometers (31,000 square miles) and are up to 600 meters (2,000 feet) thick. These form the Quadrilatero Ferrifero or Iron Quadrangle, which resembles the Iron Range mines of United States in that the favored ore is hematite weathered out of the BIFs. Production from the Iron Quadrangle helps make Brazil the second largest producer of iron ore after Australia, with monthly exports averaging 139,299 metric tons from December 2007 to May 2018.

Mining of ore from banded iron formations at Anshan in north China began in 1918. When Japan occupied Northeast China in 1931, these mills were turned into a Japanese-owned monopoly, and the city became a significant strategic industrial hub during the Second World War. Total production of processed iron in Manchuria reached 1,000,000 metric tons in 1931–32. By 1942, Anshan's Shōwa Steel Works total production capacity reached 3,600,000 metric tons per annum, making it one of the major iron and steel centers in the world. Production was severely disrupted during the Soviet occupation of Manchuria in 1945 and the subsequent Chinese Civil War. However, from 1948 to 2001, the steel works produced 290 million tons of steel, 284 million tons of pig iron and 192 million tons of rolled steel. Annual production capacity as of 2006 is 10 million tons of pig iron, 10 million tons of steel and 9.5 million tons of rolled steel. A quarter of China's total iron ore reserves, about 10 billion tons, are located in Anshan.

## See also

Distinctive layered units of iron-rich sedimentary rock that are almost always of Precambrian age