Legendary Temple coach John Chaney dies — dead at 89
Hall of Fame basketball coach John Chaney has died.
The University of Temple has announced that Chaney died on Friday morning following a brief illness. He was 89.
Chaney is best known for coaching at Temple for 24 seasons. He led the Owls to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances during that span and compiled a record of 741-312. Temple won six Atlantic 10 regular-season titles under Chaney.
Current Temple coach Aaron McKie said Friday that Chaney was like a father figure to him.
“Coach Chaney was like a father to me,” the coach said, via Chris Bumbaca of USA Today. “He taught not just me, but all of his players more than just how to succeed in basketball. He taught us life lessons to make us better individuals off the court. I owe so much to him. He made me the man I am today.”
Chaney was named the consensus Coach of the Year in 1988 when Temple entered the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
