Jack McKinney
Jack McKinney (1935-2018)
Teams coached: Philadelphia Textile, Saint Joseph’s Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, Indiana Pacers, Kansas City Kings
Saint Joseph’s record: 142-77 (.648)
Overall record^: 142-77 (.648)
Career Accomplishments:
- NCAA National Championships: 0
- NCAA Tournament Appearances: 4 (1969, 1971, 1973, 1974)
- NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen: 0
- NIT Championships: 0
- NIT Appearances: 1 (1972)
- Middle Atlantic Regular Season Champion: 4 (1970, 1971, 1973, 1974)
Awards:
- NBA Coach of the Year: 1 (1981)
Coaching Career (head coach, unless noted):
| 1984 | Kansas City Kings |
| 1980-1984 | Indiana Pacers |
| 1979 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 1976-1979 | Portland Trail Blazers (asst) |
| 1974-1976 | Milwaukee Bucks (asst) |
| 1966-1974 | Saint Joseph’s |
| 1965-1966 | Philadelphia Textile |
| 1960-1965 | Saint Joseph’s (asst) |
Jack McKinney Facts
- John Paul McKinney
- Born July 13, 1935
- Died September 25, 2018
- Hometown: Chester, Pennsylvania
- Alma Mater: Saint Joseph’s University (BA, 1957)
- Graduated from St. James HS (PA), where he played several years under head coach Jack Ramsay
- Went on to play at Saint Joseph’s, where Ramsay had become the head coach in 1954, for three seasons
- Returned to alma mater St. James HS in 1959 as head basketball coach, serving in that capacity for one year
- Spent five years working as an assistant coach under Ramsay at Saint Joseph’s, a tenure which included the Hawks’ (later vacated) 1961 NCAA Final Four appearance
- Was the head coach at Division II Philadelphia Textile (now Jefferson University) for one season
- Replaced Ramsay as the head coach at Saint Joseph’s in 1966, coaching the Hawks for eight seasons
- Won 142 games during that tenure, claiming four Middle Atlantic titles and appearing in four NCAA Tournaments
- Fired after the 1973-74 season, despite going 19-11 and reaching the NCAA Tournament
- Moved up to the NBA ranks, spending the next five years as an assistant coach – first in Milwaukee under Larry Costello and then in Portland under Ramsay
- Was a member of the Trail Blazers’ staff when the team won the 1976-77 NBA Championship
- Became an NBA head coach in 1979, briefly leading the LA Lakers before a bicycle injury caused McKinney to fall into a coma
- Coached the Indiana Pacers for four full seasons, leading them to their first ever NBA playoff appearance in 1981 and earning NBA Coach of the Year honors
- After four full years in Indiana, McKinney briefly coached the Kansas City Kings
- Had a 136-215 overall record across all three coaching tenures
- His book, Jack McKinney’s Tales from the Saint Joseph’s Hardwood: The Hawk will Never Die, was published in 2005 (co-authored with Robert Gordon)
- Passed away in 2018 at age 83; survived by wife, Claire, two daughters, two sons and eight grandchildren
Jack McKinney Coaching Tree
- Harry Booth (Saint Joseph’s)
- Jim Boyle (Saint Joseph’s)
- Butch Carter (Toronto Raptors)
- Johnny Davis (Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers)
- George Irvine (Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers)
- Clemon Johnson (Florida A&M, Alaska-Fairbanks)
- Sidney Lowe (NC State, Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Kevin McKenna (Indiana State, Omaha, Sioux Falls Skyforce)
- Kenny Natt (Sacramento Kings)
- Jim O’Brien (Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics, Dayton, Wheeling Jesuit)
- Louis Orr (Bowling Green, Seton Hall, Siena)
- Paul Westhead (Phoenix Mercury, George Mason, Denver Nuggets, Loyola Marymount, Chicago Bulls, LA Lakers)
- Herb Williams (New York Knicks)
^ overall record includes head coaching positions at the NCAA Division I level only
