Bill Self, a former basketball player and current head coach of the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team, has his longtime wife, Cindy Kelly Self, by his side through all his ups and downs.
Jayhawks head coach Bill Self and his wife, Cindy Kelly Self, began dating each other in college and have been each other’s constant source of support since.
The couple first met while attending Oklahoma State University in the mid-80s, when Bill Self was an exceptional basketball player, and Cindy was a cheerleader.
While Bill Self earned a bachelor’s degree in business and later a master’s degree in athletic administration, his wife, Cindy Kelly Self, earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
Furthermore, the couple tied the knot in 1988, nearly four years after dating, and has been happily married for over 35 years.
From assistant coach jobs at Kansas and Oklahoma State to getting his first job as a head coach at Oral Roberts and now as the head coach of Kansas, Cindy has been by Bill’s side and witnessed him thrive in his field.
Although Cindy Kelly prefers to maintain a private life and has shared very little about her profession, she often shares her husband’s achievements on social media, expressing her love for him.
She is also popular for her philanthropy, and the couple established the ASSISTS Foundation, a charity organization to serve as a fundraising conduit for organizations that serve a variety of youth initiatives in June 2006.
Likewise, Cindy is not the only one who shares about her husband; Bill Self also often appreciates his longtime wife, regarding her as the perfect wife.
During his Hall of Fame ceremony, Bill expressed his love for Cindy, stating:
“Being a coach’s wife isn’t easy, and it takes on many challenges, but she has been with me through every step of this journey and has been so supportive and sacrificed so much for me to chase my dream.”
Bill Self and Cindy Kelly Self are Proud Parents Of Two Children!
Bill Self shares two children, a son named Tyler and a daughter named Lauren, with his longtime wife, Cindy Kelly Self.
Moreover, the couple raised their children to become successful; their daughter Lauren graduated from Kansas State University in 2013.
She currently works for the Richard Young Life community and lives in Dallas, Texas.
Lauren Self married Hayden Browning, a worship leader at watermark church and the Porch, in 2014.
Similarly, Bill Self and Cindy are proud maternal grandparents of three adorable kids, Ella, Phoebe, and Jack.
Talking about their son, Tyler Self followed in his father Bill’s footsteps for a while, playing basketball for Kansas University from 2013 to 2016 before switching his career to business.
Tyler has been the co-founder and managing partner of FERN Financial Group, LLC, located in Austin, Texas, since 2022.
Before founding his own company, Tyler served as the Austin Spurs General Manager of Spurs Sports & Entertainment for 5 years and as a student assistant at the University of Kansas Athletics for five months.
Moreover, Tyler Self earned a bachelor of science in sports management and a minor degree in business from The University of Kansas.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Bill Self was born Billy Eugene Self Jr. on December 27, 1962, in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, to mother Margaret Self and father Billy Eugene Self Sr.
- His father was the girls’ basketball coach at nearby Morris High School in Oklahoma, whereas his mother is a retired school teacher.
- Bill Self attended Edmond Memorial High School, where he won the honorable title of Oklahoma High School Basketball Player of the Year in 1981.
- He won the gold medal in the Summer Universiade as the head coach for the United States.
