Frank Layden
Frank Layden (born January 5, 1932)
Teams coached: Dowling Golden Lions, Niagara Purple Eagles, Utah Jazz, Utah Starzz
Dowling record: 16-24 (.400)
Niagara record: 119-97 (.551)
Overall record^: 135-121 (.527)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1 (1970)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 1 (1970)
- NIT Championships: 0 (Runner-up in 1972)
- NIT Appearances: 2 (1972, 1976)
Awards:
- NBA Coach of the Year: 1 (1984)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1998-1999 | Utah Starzz |
| 1981-1988 | Utah Jazz |
| 1976-1979 | Atlanta Hawks (asst) |
| 1968-1976 | Niagara |
| 1966-1968 | Dowling |
Frank Layden Facts
- Francis P. Layden
- Born January 5, 1932
- Hometown: Brooklyn, New York
- Alma Mater: Niagara University (BA, 1955)
- Graduated from Fort Hamilton HS in Brooklyn then played at Niagara for long-time Purple Eagles’ head coach Taps Gallagher
- First head coaching role was a two-year stint at Dowling College (NY), where he went 16-24 and improved from 3-18 in year one to 13-6 in year two
- Returned to his alma mater in 1968 and coached the Eagles for eight seasons, going 119-97 overall
- Went to the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament in 1970 and also two NITs, including a Runner-up finish in 1972
- Among those he coached was future Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy, a three-time AP All-American and eventual NBA All-Star
- Layden also served as athletic director at Niagara from 1969-76, holding the dual roles just like his former coach Gallagher
- Left in 1976 to take an assistant job with the Atlanta Hawks, working under his former Niagara teammate Hubie Brown for three seasons
- Hired in 1979 to be the general manager of the Utah Jazz, a franchise that had just re-located from New Orleans
- Served as GM from 1979-87 and also was the team’s head coach from 1981-88
- In 1984, Layden won NBA Coach of the Year, NBA Executive of the Year and the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award
- As coach, he was 277-294 overall (plus 18-23 in the Playoffs) and reached the Western Conference Semifinals three times
- As GM, he was responsible for drafting and signing long-time Jazz duo John Stockton and Karl Malone
- Stepped down in 1988 and elevated his assistant, Jerry Sloan, to be his replacement; Sloan coached the Jazz until 2011
- Frank’s son Scott later spent ten years as GM of the Jazz (and also four years as the GM of the New York Knicks)
- After a decade out of the game, he spent 1+ seasons as the head coach of the Utah Starzz (now the Las Vegas Aces) of the WNBA
- Layden was given the 2019 Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award for his many years of service as a NBA coach and executive
Frank Layden Coaching Tree
- Jerry Eaves (Simmons, North Carolina A&T)
- Marc Iavaroni (Memphis Grizzlies)
- Phil Johnson (Kansas City/Sacramento Kings)
- Gene Littles (Denver Nuggets, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers)
- Kenny Natt (Sacramento Kings)
- Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz)
- Andy Walker (Niagara)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I and NAIA levels only
