Fran Dunphy hired as La Salle head coach

La Salle alum Fran Dunphy was announced on Tuesday as the new head coach at his alma mater. Dunphy retired three years ago after thirteen seasons as head coach at Temple (2006-19) and seventeen at Penn (1989-2006).

“During my time at La Salle, I have met many passionate alums who personify what it means to be an Explorer,” said AD Brian Baptiste. “Fran Dunphy is at the top of that list, and to be able to introduce him as the 20th head coach in La Salle men’s basketball history is an honor and privilege. In my conversations with Fran, he has made it clear that he still has a passion for coaching and a burning desire to help his alma mater. I know he’s excited to get to work and I know our student-athletes will benefit from having him as the leader of our program.”

Dunphy, who will turn 74 before the start of the 2022-23 season, is 580-325 overall in his career and has been to the NCAA Tournament seventeen times – most recently in his final year with the Owls, 2019. He is a Philly-native who has spent nearly his entire coaching career amongst the Big 5, and is now the first head coach to lead three different Big 5 programs.

“La Salle has given me so much over the years,” Dunphy said. “It gave me a chance to be a part of multiple teams as a student-athlete, an opportunity to form life-long friendships, and helped mold me into the man I am today. I can’t wait to work with the young men on the team, re-introduce myself to the campus community, and to help my alma mater any way I can.”

Dunphy has a number of former players and assistants currently leading other programs in the area, including Steve Donahue (Penn), Matt Langel (Colgate), Aaron McKie (Temple), Andrew Toole (Robert Morris), Dwayne Killings (Albany) and Mike Jordan (Lafayette). It will be interesting to see who he fills out his staff with and whether or not there is an heir-apparent among that group.

credit to La Salle Athletics for the image