What Religion Does Bruce Pearl Follow? Digging Deeper Into Auburn HC’s Ethnic Roots and Beliefs

It is no news that Bruce Pearl is among the top-ranked coaches in college basketball. And he’s been maintaining this position not only when he’s in Auburn but for every program he’s coached on his way. His coaching career started in Southern Indiana, where he managed to lead his team to reach the NCAA tournament in all the nine seasons. Moreover, Bruce found success wherever he went, whether in Wisconsin or Tennessee. In his 29 years of coaching, making regular NCAA appearances has become second nature to him.

Pearl joined the Auburn family back in 2014, and his records are nothing short of remarkable. In his ten seasons with the Tigers, he has led the program to 5 NCAA Tournament appearances, including a final-four run in 2019. Together with the Tigers, Bruce has bagged 200 wins, which is quite commendable. Outside the hoop, the coach is always giving back to his community. Now, the question — which ethnic background does he belong to?

A Coach Shaped by Heritage and Leadership

Bruce is a native of Boston, where he spent his entire childhood with his parents, Bernie Pearl and Barbara Pearl. Later, he went to Boston college to pursue a bachelor’s degree in business administration. And it is this same place which led him to the world of dunks and dribbles. He started as a student assistant coach for Boston college under Tom Davis in 1978. After graduating from BC in 1982, he followed Davis to Stanford, where he became an assistant coach.

In fact, he’s only one of the few coaches in Division I history who has never played high-school level basketball; while the coach was part of the football team, a shoulder injury restricted him from pursuing sports as a career. At least as a player. His run as a coach has been phenomenal and even more so with Auburn. In 2019, Bruce became the fifth Jewish coach in college basketball to lead its team to a final-four run.

Answering your question, yes, Bruce Pearl belongs to the Jewish community. His Hebrew name is ‘Mordechai’, which honors the Jewish holiday Purim. While talking with War Eagle Leader in 2015, he talked about being American Jewish and breaking down stereotypes. Emphasizing the importance of accepting one another’s differences, he said, “On sports teams, we are color blind. We don’t pay any attention to how you pray, the color of your skin, or where you live. It’s Team 6 v. Team 5. It’s red v. black. It’s the Celtics v. the Knicks. And it’s us against them.” 

Whether as the first president of the Jewish Coaches Association or as a U.S. board chairman for the Israel Education Association (USIEA), Pearl has taken careful measures to obtain global peace and prosperity. His love for his roots is so much so that he made the entire team of Tigers travel to Israel in 2022 alongside him to play against the Israeli teams and explore the country.

Transforming Auburn into a College Basketball Powerhouse

The 64-year-old has been a consistent leader for the Auburn Tigers who, along with his eldest son, Steven Pearl, who serves as the assistant coach for the program. They have made Auburn an unstoppable force over the years. Ever since he joined the program a decade ago, he has produced one of the biggest turnarounds in the college basketball landscape. Before his joining, The Tigers had an average RPI of 191.8. But the best was yet to come.

Under Pearl’s leadership, the program had its best year in 2019, as the team won 30 games and became the only team from Alabama to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, ultimately reaching the Final Four.

In the decade Pearl has spent here in Auburn, he has won four SEC Tournaments with the Tigers, ranking him sixth in conference history, while also ranking top 5 in overall victories behind John Calipari, Adolph Rupp, and Billy Donovan. Moreover, he recorded another milestone in 2017 by becoming the 21st coach with the fastest 500 wins. 22 NCAA appearances with a 662-264 overall record in 29 seasons? That’s Bruce Pearl for you.

Above all, Bruce Pearl’s influence could be seen outside the basketball world too. He has been a motivation for many Jewish people. The 64-year-old never forgets his values and traditions and is always present in any community led programs. To say the least, his loyalty to the community and cultural background run deep.