Ed Jucker

Ed Jucker (1916-2002)

Teams coached: Merchant Marine Mariners, RPI Engineers, Cincinnati Bearcats, Cincinnati Royals, Rollins Tars
Cincinnati record: 113-28 (.801)
Overall record^: 270-122 (.689)

Career Accomplishments:

• NCAA National Championships:  2  (1961, 1962)
• NCAA Tournament Appearances:  3  (1961, 1962, 1963)
• NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen:  3  (1961, 1962, 1963)
• NCAA Tournament Final Four:  3  (1961, 1962, 1963)
• NIT Championships:  0
• NIT Appearances:  0
• Missouri Valley Regular Season Champion:  3  (1961, 1962, 1963)
• NCAA Division II Tournament Appearances:  2  (1974, 1976)
• Helms Foundation National Championships:  2  (1961, 1962)

Awards:

• NABC Coach of the Year:  1  (1963)
• Henry Iba Award:  1  (1963)
• UPI Coach of the Year:  1  (1963)
• Missouri Valley Coach of the Year:  2  (1961, 1963)

Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):

1972-1977	Rollins
1967-1969	Cincinnati Royals
1960-1965	Cincinnati
1953-1960	Cincinnati (asst)
1948-1953	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
1945-1948	US Merchant Marine Academy

Ed Jucker Facts

• Edwin Louis Jucker
• Born July 8, 1916
• Died February 2, 2002
• Hometown: Norwood, Ohio
• Alma Mater: University of Cincinnati (BA, 1940)
• Played basketball, baseball and golf at UC, lettering in basketball for three years under Rip Van Winkle and Clark Ballard
• After graduating in 1940, Jucker joined the US Navy and served during WWII
• Started coaching in 1945, spending three years coaching the Merchant Marine squad to a 30-17 record over three years
• Went on to coach at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, NY for five seasons, with an overall 46-35 record
• Spent seven years as an assistant coach at his alma mater under head coach George Smith
  • Time as an assistant included trips to the NCAA Final Four in 1959 and 1960, what was the beginning of a run of five-straight F4 appearances for Cincinnati
  • Also served as the head baseball coach at Cincinnati from 1954-60, going 87-38 overall
    • Recruited Sandy Koufax to walk-on; later gave him a partial scholarship after seeing his first Bearcats practice
    • Had his number retired by the baseball program, just the second person to receive this honor
  • Named the head coach at Cincinnati ahead of the 1960 season when Smith transitioned to athletic director at UC
• Had as successful a first three years at Cincinnati as imaginable, winning the NCAA National Championship in both 1961 and 1962 and finishing as Runner-up in 1963 (a 2-point loss to Loyola Chicago)
  • Went 113-28 during his five-year tenure as head coach, going 82-6 in his first three seasons (with three MVC titles)
  • Jucker left Cincinnati after the 1964-65, in which the Bearcats finished 14-12 (5-9)
• Spent two years as the head coach of the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA (now the Sacramento Kings)
  • Went 80-84 overall, missing the playoffs in both seasons
  • Coached Oscar Robertson, who played at UC when Jucker was an assistant, and Jerry Lucas, among others with the Royals
• Returned to the college ranks in 1972, helping build up the program at D-II Rollins (Winter Park, FL) for five seasons
  • Later served as the school’s athletic director from 1981 to 1983
• Inducted into the UC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame posthumously in 2014
• Passed away in 2002 at his home on Callawassie Island, SC, aged 85
  • Survived by his wife, Joanne, his two sons and two daughters

Ed Jucker Coaching Tree

• Tay Baker (Xavier, Cincinnati)
• John Powless (Wisconsin)
• Tony Yates (Cincinnati)

 

^ overall record includes head coaching positions at various levels of collegiate basketball only