PHILADELPHIA – John Chaney, one of the nation’s leading basketball coaches and a commanding figure during a Hall of Fame career at Temple, died Friday.
He was 89. The university said he died after a short, unspecified illness. He celebrated his birthday last week. Chaney led Temple to 17 NCAA Tournament appearances over 24 seasons, including five NCAA regional finals.
Chaney had 741 wins as a college coach. He was twice named national coach of the year and his teams at Temple won six Atlantic 10 conference titles.
He became a de facto father to dozens of his players, many coming to Temple from broken homes, violent upbringings and bad schools.