Legendary St. John’s coach Lou Carnesecca has passed away at age 99

Coach Lou Carnesecca, who led the St. John’s men’s basketball program for 24 seasons, passed away on Saturday at age 99. Carnesecca is the winningest coach in program history (526-200) and took the team to eighteen NCAA Tournaments and five Big East titles.

One of the most iconic figures in the history of the Big East and college basketball at large, Carnesecca devoted his life to his beloved alma mater. He stayed connected with the program long after his retirement and was a fixture at games well into his 90s. Lou was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 and was part of the founding class of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.

A full tribute is available on the St. John’s athletic site here. “The legendary head coach leaves behind his beloved wife of 73 years, Mary, as well as his cherished family – daughter Enes, son-in-law Gerard (Jerry), granddaughter Ieva and her fiancé Frank, his dear niece and nephew, Susan Chiesa, John Chiesa and his wife, Nancy – as well as his extended family and his closest friends join them in their loss.”

credit to St. John’s Athletics for the image