Legendary Temple men’s basketball coach John Chaney dies at 89

Hall of Fame basketball coach John Chaney, who led Temple University to 17 NCAA tournament appearances, has died at the age of 89.

John Chaney dies at 89

The university said he died after a short, unspecified illness.

“John Chaney was a great coach, but he was so much more. For generations of Temple University students, he was a wise counselor, a dedicated teacher, an icon of success, and a passionate leader who always led by example and with conviction,” said Temple President Richard M. Englert, who has known Chaney since he came to Temple in 1982. “I am also honored to say he was a dear friend.

College coaching career

Chaney spent 24 seasons at Temple, beginning in 1982-83 — the only season his Owls failed to reach the NCAA tournament or NIT. He went to the Elite Eight on five occasions, and Temple was ranked No. 1 for a stretch during the 1987-88 season, when the Owls finished 32-2 and went 18-0 in Atlantic 10 play. He won 516 games at Temple and 741 games overall

Before taking over at Temple, Chaney spent 10 seasons at Cheyney University, a HBCU Division II program about 30 miles outside Philadelphia. He went to eight Division II tournaments and won the national championship in 1978.

Basketball Hall of Fame

Chaney was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. He still ranks among the top 40 college basketball coaches in career wins and was the first Black coach to reach 700 wins.

Chaney won the Henry Iba Award, given to the Coach of the Year by the United States Basketball Writers Association, back-to-back in 1987 and 1988.

In 2019, the Jacksonville, FL native told The Athletic he wanted to be “remembered as someone who cared.”

“What we need more of these days — I don’t care how you look at it — is caring for others, whoever that is,” Chaney said.